Dreams of Sustained Cruelty
by crazysychoninja
Summary: Set four years after the events of Last of Us. Two years ago, Ellie and Joel had to flee as Tommy's colony was destroyed by bandits. Now, they continue to wander across America. After two years of constantly moving, Ellie wants to find somewhere permanent. They can't scavenge forever. After they enter a mall, and Joel is injured, Ellie realizes that they are not alone.
1. Chapter 1

Naughty Dog owns all the stuff that has to do with The Last of Us.

Chapter 1: Gone Shopping

"Dammit Ellie! Wait up!" Joel struggled to stay close to the seventeen year old as she ran ahead of him. _I'm not getting any younger_. He watched as Ellie ran into store after store, without regard for silence. But she was young, and innocent. She was still learning about the world. More recently, she had been interested in the old world, and how people lived. They had just stopped a conversation about how in the past, the government was made to help people. She was surprised by this. She also wanted to know more about Joel first child, Sarah. Slowly but surely, Joel had opened up to her. He explained about her soccer skills, and her love for the Dawn of the Wolf movies. After a while, he started to open up about how she died. "The worst birthday gift I ever got." Joel had told her. Ellie felt sorry for Joel. He blamed himself for her death, but it wasn't his fault. Many times, she wished that she could have met Sarah, and Joel said they would get along.

Ellie walked into the atrium and looked up at the glass ceiling. Somehow, throughout the twenty-four years of this hell on earth, it had survived. The glass was dirty, but you could still see the cloudless sky beyond it.

"Joel, come here and look at this!" Joel ran forward, worried that something had happened. When he saw her looking up, he aimed his rifle up, but saw what she was looking at it, and lowered the gun.

"It's amazing. How did they do that?"

"I don't know." As the pair looked at the glass ceiling, there was a crunching noise, and they both looked for the source. In one of the side stores, was a Clicker. It was missing part of it's head, and some of it's ribs were visible. They both got down on the ground and silently crawled away. But then, the Clicker 'looked' at them, and started making its' namesake noise, but at a lot louder volume. Joel aimed his rifle, and shot the Clicker. They heard the infected running toward them, and their growls and moans.

"Ellie! Run!" Joel started to run, with Ellie right behind him. He turned occasionally to shoot the ones behind him with the rifle, but not often.

"Joel! Look up!" Joel looked at the second floor and saw Runners above running keeping pace with them. And then they started to jump down. Some missed, but one tackled Joel, and pushed him into a kiosk. His head collided with something, and he was out cold. Ellie shot the Runner, and began to drag Joel into a side store. She threw a smoke bomb down away from them and watched as the Runners ran to the sound. In the store, she walked to the back, and laid Joel against a desk. She was starting to look for a first aid kit. But she heard something walk into the dark room. She grabbed her gun, and aimed at the doorway. The Clicker walked into the room, and was looking for something. Ellie kept really still, and watched as the Clicker started to walk away. She slowly went back to patching Joel up, but knocked a coffee mug off of the desk. When it shattered, the Clicker turned and started to advance on her. She aimed her gun at it. Suddenly, it struggled with something, and a knife appeared from it's stomach. It stopped thrashing and fell limp. She looked up, and saw someone with a respirator and a silenced pistol. The person put a finger to the mask, as if to say, 'Quite.' They reached down and pulled the body out. After a minute, they came back in and closed the door quietly. Ellie was in the dark, until the person pulled out a lighter, and lit a lantern. That's the last thing Ellie remembered before slipping from consciousness.

**Hey guys. What's up? I am trying to write this story and update on a weekly basis. One thing that would really help me would be reviews. Considering this is my first story being 'released' to the public, it would really help if you guys told me what you loved, what you hated with a burning passion, and many other things. ****Also, thank you for actually reading my story. It may not mean something to you, but it means the world to me.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Shadow checking back in. How is everyone doing? Like I said, I will try to update every Friday night. You should all know that my passion in life is writing stories. I am trying to be a novelist, so reviews will help me get better. And if I get better, then that means that I can write better stuff. And if I can write better stuff, do you know who that will benefit most? YOU GUYS! So help yourselves by helping me help you. With everyone helping everyone, everyone will be happy.**

Naughty Dog still owns all the stuff that has to do with The Last of Us.

Chapter 2: Campfire Stories

Ellie woke up and saw a flickering light. She was laid down on a jacket, and Joel was nowhere around her. She saw that her pack was next to her, and saw Joel at the makeshift fire, making something. Except it wasn't Joel. It was the person who had saved them. They still had their respirator on, and the breathing served as a eerie soundtrack. Ellie reached for her gun, and the person turned toward her. But what was weird, was that they didn't react to the gun.

"Ah. You're awake. I was worried for a minute." Despite the respirator masking some of it, she could tell from the voice that the person was a male. But beyond that, she didn't know anything about this man. He reached for something, and Ellie pointed the weapon at him. Both of his hands went up in the air.

"Hey, there is no need for that. I am slowly going to remove my mask. That is all." He continued with his movements, and took the mask off. She saw a man who looked to be a little bit older than her, with black hair, and hazel eyes. He smiled and set the mask down. He walked over to her, and she raised her gun at him. He stopped and backed off.

"My name is Connor. Yours?"

"Ellie. Where's the man who was with me?" Connor pointed at a door.

"I saw that you were infected, so I decided to move him farther away from the front door. If they attack, at least we have some distance between him and them. Right?" Ellie looked shocked.

"I'm not infected."

"Ellie, I am promising you right now. I don't like lying, so I will not lie to you. Please don't do it to me. I saw the bite on your right arm."

"Why did you look?"

"Because when I moved your friend, I moved you as well. I put you down on the jacket. I saw it then. That's why I am still here. I didn't think that it would be right to leave your friend to be eaten by you. But you haven't turned. So I think we both know what that means." Ellie was floored. _How could this guy know all this stuff if she just met him?_ But then she thought of the answer.

"How long have you been watching us?" Connor looked at his watch.

"About… Four hours." He stood up and walked to his backpack.

"All this questioning has been making me hungry. You want something?" Ellie didn't want to say so, but she was starving.

"I'm fine." She stood and felt something hit her shoe. She bent over and picked up the can of soup.

"Eat. I know when someone is hungry and when they are acting strong." Connor set down his backpack. Ellie saw his armament. He had shotgun, shorter than hers, and he also had a machete. But that wasn't the main thing. He had some sort of assault rifle strapped on the backpack. He saw her staring at it.

"You wanna see it?" He reached over and took off of the backpack. Ellie aimed her pistol at him, and he chuckled.

"Ellie. You seem smart, so I think that you should have realized that I have had four hours to kill you, take you stuff, and get out. If I haven't done any of that, and I am still here, you'd figure that I wasn't gonna hurt you. You should trust me, and trust is a two-way street." He slid the rifle to her. She slowly picked it up, and looked it over. It had a handle under the barrel, a flashlight on the side, and a silencer. The scope wasn't a scope for a long range rifle, but it was a pretty heavy duty scope. It had to have been military.

"I saw a dead body with it, and figured the man didn't need it anymore, so I picked it up." Connor heard something behind him, and turned. He was staring at the barrel of a shotgun. Joel had a look of determination on his face.

"Ellie, grab his stuff, and get it away from him."

"Joel, he's cool. He won't hurt us."

"Ellie, this is not a time to argue." Ellie grabbed Connor's backpack and took his stuff to their side of the room.

"Joel, this is overkill. He could have killed us, but he didn't. He saved me when you were out cold. He is a pretty nice guy."

"Ellie, do you see the tattoo on his right arm?" Ellie looked and saw a tattoo that read: _United States Marine_ and under that: _Semper Fi_. Ellie stepped away from the man she was friendly with in fear.

"You're in the military?" Connor sighed, and went to stand, but Joel cocked the shotgun.

"You lied to me."

"You never asked if I served."

"When you got the rifle, it is your service weapon."

"No, it was my buddy. I watched him get eaten and I ran. I came back and saw he still clutched it in his dead hands. I knew he wouldn't need it, so I grabbed it, and walked away. Only he wasn't dead. His corpse got up and chased me. So I put him down." Joel walked around and sat next to Ellie, his gun still trained on Connor.

"Ellie, if you are scared that I will turn you in, I won't. I have a feeling that you have already tried. And Joel, I know that you will defend your daughter with your life, so I won't try and do anything to test that."  
"She's not my daughter."

"Oh, my bad. But you would do anything to prevent that feeling from happening again."

"What are you talking about?" Connor took a deep breathe.

"Many of my friends said that I had amazing powers of observation. I have a feeling that from the way you said that, you had a daughter, but you lost her." Joel glared at him.

"You're treading on extremely thin ice."

"I have a feeling that you won't shoot me, because they are still out there. But I know what loss feels like. I lost my nephew, and my sister. I am sorry for your loss. I told Ellie, I don't like lying, so I won't lie to you. You have nothing to fear from me. I promise." Joel looked at him, and slowly lowered his gun. Ellie decided to offer Joel the food Connor gave him.

"You look hungry."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. Shadow of a Doubt just checking in. How was your week? To those of you out there, happy Rosh Hashanah! I hope that the New Year brings nothing but luck, happiness, and other great things. Speaking of great things, this is the new chapter! Once again, remember to review. That's the only way I know how you guys feel about what I write. And finally, thank you to you guys for using your time to read this story. It may not seem like much, but it means the world to me.**

**Last time I checked, Naughty Dog still owns The Last of Us.**

Chapter 3: Bail

Joel watched as Ellie and Connor joked around with each other. So far they had learned that he was twenty-one, had joined the military when he was sixteen, and he was raised by his sister. Ellie had taken out her joke book, and told some of the jokes inside. Connor was laughing quite a bit. _It's a bit nice to have someone else around._ Connor looked at his watch, and had a serious look on his face. He reached for his pistol, and checked it.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to check to see if we can leave." He got up, and grabbed his respirator. He put it on, and soundtrack of his breathing came back. He slowly opened the door, and looked outside. he quickly closed it and walked over to his stuff. When he started packing, Joel and Ellie stood up.

"What are you doing?" Ellie was worried.

"Pack your stuff. Ellie, pass me my rifle." She gave it to him.

"Joel, put on your mask. Ellie, do you have a mask?"

"No. I'm immune remember." Connor slid his rifle onto the side of the backpack. He grabbed the machete, and held it in his left hand. Joel had his stuff packed, and Ellie was just finishing putting out the fire. Connor put his jacket on, and put his backpack on. He slowly opened the door, and crouched. Joel saw the flashlights searching.

"Hunters." Connor nodded. He got behind a kiosk.

"You guys go that way. I will follow behind you and watch our backs. Let's go." The trio began to leave. They silently went through the mall, but were stopped as the occasional patrol came by. Connor watched the Hunters search around for anything useful. He was so busy watching them, he didn't see the figure behind him. Ellie turned and saw Connor about fifty yards away from them, and saw the Stalker behind him. It growled and lunged. Connor turned in time, and caught it before it could bite him. He struggled with it, and the Hunters heard. When their flashlights caught the struggle, they fired on the pair.

"Ellie, Joel! Run!" Joel grabbed Ellie and started to run.

"We can't just leave him!"

"Ellie, we need to go!" Ellie turned and saw the Stalker snapping inches away from Connor's face. The only thing keeping them seperate was the machete, which Connor was holding both the handle and the blade to keep the monster at bay. She turned and followed Joel. More Hunter patrols fired on them, and the pair returned fire. Joel tried to find a route to get them, but there were a lot.

"Ellie! Take the rifle!" Ellie grabbed the hunting rifle from Joel, and ran behind another kiosk. She picked her targets carefully, while Joel drew their fire. After taking down the five Hunters, Joel and Ellie made a sprint for the doors. But outside, they came across the Humvee these Hunters had seemed to appropriate.

"Dammit! Ellie, get down!" The machine gun on the roof of the car fired in bursts, and Joel wasn't going to wait for the ammunition to run out. He grabbed a grenade and threw it at the car. The explosion didn't affect it in the slightest, but they used the smoke screen as cover to run into the woods. Ellie and Joel ran as fast as possible.

"Joel, where are we going?! What about Connor?!"

"Ellie! Just keep running!" Joel led Ellie into and hid behind a tree. He aimed the shotgun and watched as a Hunter got within range. He shot the man, and watched as his body was lifted from the ground and thrown back. Joel turned and continued to run into the woods. After he caught up with Ellie, he yelled for her to stop.

"Ellie! We can rest for a minute." Ellie stopped and slouched against a tree.

"Holy shit, man! Where did they come from? How did we not hear them?"

"I don't know. But we need to be careful. They are still out there." At that precise moment, Joel heard someone running toward them. He turned around a tree and point his gun directly at the source. Connor stopped short. Joel sighed and lowered his gun.

"Connor!" Ellie ran and hugged him. He almost lost his balance, but managed to stay up.

"How did you make it out?" Connor seemed really dizzy, and was having a hard time on his feet.

"I… shot some… of them. And I…" Connor slipped out of consciousness, and collapsed. Joel ran and rolled him onto his back. He took off Connor's respirator, and then tore off his jacket. He saw a small amount of blood coming from his stomach.

"He's been shot. Ellie, get the first aid kit from my backpack." Joel pulled up Connor's shirt, and saw the military vest was holding up pretty well, but one bullet got through. Connor was groaning in pain and blood was starting to flow more freely. Joel grabbed Connor's backpack and took it off. He took the vest off and Ellie handed him the medical pliers. Joel carefully inserted the tool into the hole in Connor's stomach, and heard the man grunt in pain. Suddenly Connor's convulsed, and Joel had to hold him down to prevent the pliers from doing anymore damage.

"Ellie! Hold him down! If he moves anymore, the bullet won't the worst problem!" Ellie switched sides, and held Connor's shoulders down. She felt something rough, but ignored it. After a few minutes, Joel was able to get the bullet out, and he stopped the bleeding.

"Ellie, grab his stuff. We got to go." Joel picked Connor up and the trio ran away from the woods.


	4. Chapter 4

**Naughty Dog still owns everything seen, heard, smelled, tasted, and touched about The Last of Us.**

Chapter 4: Dreaming of Reality (Two Years Earlier)

Ellie was shaken from her sleep, and saw Joel looking at her. She was still tired, but was nevertheless alert.

"What's up?" Joel started to grab her stuff and put it into her bag.

"We need to go!" He continued to pack her stuff, and handed a pistol to her.

"What about Tommy? Are we going to say good bye?" Joel stopped what he was doing, and looked at her with sadness in his eyes.

"Tommy is dead."

**Back in the Present**

Connor woke up in a bed, sweating, scared, and reaching for a weapon. His eyes kept darting across the room. He looked and saw his pistol on the nightstand next to him. He grabbed it, and looked around for his stuff. When he couldn't find it, he went to the door. He slowly opened it, and looked into the hallway. He crept down the hallway, and stopped when he heard a door open. Joel stepped into the hallway and came face to face with Connor's pistol.

"Connor, just put the gun down." Connor realized where he was and lowered his pistol.

"I'm sorry, Joel. Didn't realize where I was."

"It's alright Connor. Don't worry about it."

"What happened?"

"You got shot. I was able to pull the bullet out and stop the bleeding. We found this house and stayed here. This will be our second night here. We were just about to come check on you." Connor nodded and listened to the story.

"Where's Ellie?"

"She's downstairs. She was really worried about you. You should go tell her you're awake." Connor nodded, and walked down the hall. When he went down the stairs, he saw Ellie reading a book. When she saw Connor, she jumped up and hugged him. And it took her a while to let go.

"How are you feeling?

"Better now. Being shot sucks." Connor sat down on the couch. He looked around and saw their stuff by the door.

"Are we leaving soon?" Joel nodded as he came down the stairs.

"Never good to be in one place at a time. We have to keep moving." Connor nodded, but turned and saw Ellie's face.

"For real, Joel? We can't stay here?"

"No, Ellie, we have to keep moving. That's what we have always been doing to survive, and that's how we will continue to survive."

"Fuck that, Joel! We finally found a place to stay. We can survive if we stay in one place. Look at Bill. He survived for ages, and he has more than enough food! We can do this!" Joel sighed and rubbed his face.

"Ellie, if we stay in one place, we will die. Remember what happened to Tommy's!" But Ellie kept fighting.

"We can't drag Connor around while he is still recovering though!" She pointed at Connor, who was leaning against the wall. She saw the look on Connor's face, and then turned to Joel. She started to realize what Joel was thinking.

"No, we aren't leaving him here! That's not right!" Connor walked forward.

"Ellie, Joel is right. Right now, I am dead weight. I can't do anything, and I would just slow you down. Then all three of us die. If both of you leave, at least you guys could survive. I have survived on my own for quite some time. I will be fine." Ellie refused to accept this.

"Joel, this isn't right. We can't leave him. He's injured. It's not right, and I'm not leaving until he is fine."

"Dammit Ellie, Connor isn't some small dog. He is a marine. He can take care of himself." Ellie gave him a look, and Joel knew that it was over.

"Joel, I don't want to keep running. I'm tired. Why don't we just stay here for a little while? At least until Connor is okay?" Joel looked at her, and sighed.

"Fine, just for a few days." Joel walked away from the door with his bag. Ellie grabbed her bag, and walked upstairs. Connor nodded at Joel, and sat on the couch.

"Hey, no hard feelings. I understand you have to protect her." Joel looked at the man, and smiled. _He doesn't hold a grudge._

"Yeah, she is something worth protecting." Connor nodded, and walked back upstairs. He got to his room, and saw Ellie inside, looking through his bag. She jumped when she heard him walk in.

"Sorry, I wanted to see what was inside." She stood up and backed away. Connor walked over with a smile on his face. He grabbed the bag, without realizing that something fell out.

"Well, all I got is food, some loose ammo, and a stone to sharpen my machete on. Come on, let's go back downstairs." He turned to walk downstairs, but was stopped by Ellie.

"Connor, who is this?" Connor turned and saw in Ellie's hands, was a picture of a pretty dark haired woman. She was smiling, and someone had their arm around her shoulder, but she couldn't tell, because that corner of the photo was burned off.

"Who is she? She's beautiful." Connor stepped forward, and grabbed the photograph. Ellie jumped back, because a new light had come on Connor's face. Or, a new darkness.

"Connor? What's wrong?" Connor looked at the photograph, and sighed.

"I'm sorry Ellie. I will tell you, just not right now." He walked away, and headed downstairs. Ellie walked into the bathroom, and wondered. _Who was she? Why is the corner of the photo burned? Why did Connor snap? And why is it so bright?_ Ellie looked up and screamed.

**Shadow back in the building! So, you know the drill! Read and give me twenty reviews! Not really. But they would be appreciated. So many questions to answer. Why did Ellie scream? Who was the lady in the photograph? Why is Joel so interested in leaving? Why was Connor fine with almost being left? What's my favorite ice cream? I am really in an ice cream crisis. I love mint chocolate chip, but have been introduced to this brownie filled ice cream that is amazing. Anywho, thank you for reading. It means so much to me.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Shadow is back! I have decided, that I like ice cream, and also...someone is dying in this story line. It's what makes the story interesting. Let's see who it is. Also be on the lookout for more songs being sung. And what is loved more than deaths in story lines and songs? REVIEWS! So who wants to be a favorite? I already have one, but I can add another...**

**I bought the rights to Last of Us! I control everything now, people! Not really. I wish, though. That would be great wouldn't it?**

Chapter 5: More of Us

Nate stood, looking out the window of his office. He saw the entire dam, and smiled. _Finally, I have returned light to the world_. He could barely contain his joy. Mitchell walked into his office, and waited for his leader to face him. Nate continued to look out the window, but knew his assistant was there.

"It's funny. Humanity was around for thousands of years, and we did fine without electricity. But as soon as we got it, there was no going back. When we lost it, we were helpless for the longest of time. Now it's back. We're spoiled because of it." Mitchell nodded, and gave his report.

"Sir, there is a situation. Three survivors were spotted on the bridge. What should we do?"

"Find out why they are here. I don't want the scouting party for some warlord on my front doorstep." Mitchell nodded, and walked out of the office. Nate kept looking out over the dam, and in the distance, saw the city. The man sighed in content as he watched over his kingdom. _No one will take it away again. No one._

**Four hours earlier**

Joel ran up the stairs as fast as he could. When he got to the bathroom Ellie was in, he saw her on the ground, holding her chest. She saw him, and started laughing.

"Ellie! What's wrong?"

"Joel. The lights." Joel looked at the lights, and squinted as the brightness was stinging his eyes. Connor was also in the room at this moment, and saw the lights on.

"How did you turn them on?" Ellie looked in disbelief.

"I didn't turn them on. They just came on." Ellie stood, and looked at the two men. Connor grabbed his pistol, and looked down the hallway.

"Joel, I'm going to check outside. You should clear the house." Joel nodded, and he followed Connor down the stairs. Ellie followed them, and when they got down stairs, Joel turned to her.

"Ellie, take the rifle upstairs, and watch the front of the house. Anyone comes close, shoot a warning." She nodded, and after grabbing the sniper rifle, headed up. Connor grabbed his shotgun, and opened the screen door. He proceeded to walk around the house, but couldn't find who turned on the lights.

"Connor, Ellie! I think I know what happened." Both people ran to the front yard, and saw what Joel. In the distance, the city glowed with power. And a few miles away from it, was the electric dam.

"Someone must have reactivated the dam." Connor nodded, and headed back inside. Joel and Ellie followed him.

"Here's how I see it: we should fortify this house. This is our base now. But we should find out who the neighbors are." Joel knew that even though it wasn't a good idea to be around people, it was better to find them first instead of being found. Ellie was confused about this strategy though.

"Why do we want to go find them? Why not stay here?"

"Because if they find us, they can attack without us knowing. We should know what we are up against."  
"Joel, have they attacked us? We shouldn't go and attack them. We don't even know who they are. What if it's another group of people like Tommy?"

"Ellie, we aren't attacking. We are just scouting it out." Ellie understood, and began packing. Connor grabbed his bag, and waited outside for them. While he was waiting, he looked at the picture again. _I love you so much. When this was taken, and forever after. Love, Elizabeth._ Connor had memorized the note, but it still brought a tear to his eye. He traced her face with his finger, and ended at the burned section. _I'm so sorry._

"Hey, Connor, you hear me?" Connor jumped, and turned to see Joel looking at him.

"You ready?" Connor shook his head, and then walked over to him.

"Yeah, let's go." The trio walked toward the dead city. After a few hours of travel, Joel looked at the George Washington Bridge. The dead city lay on the other side.

"Might as well cross it now. Before it gets dark." As they walked, Connor began to whistle. Ellie was intrigued.

"I can do that too." She began to whistle, and then Connor nodded. He then whistled a complex tune, and Ellie frowned.

"Show off." Connor smiled, and Joel whistled his own tune.

"Hey, you recognize this one?" Connor whistled, and Joel smiled.

"That song is overrated." Ellie didn't know what song they were talking about.

"What song is it?" Connor hummed a bit, and then sang.

"Start spreading the news. I'm leaving today." He started to snap his fingers in rhythm.

"I want to be apart of it, New York, New York." He looked at Joel expectantly, who sighed and shook his head.

"These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray. Right through the very heart of it, New York, New York." Ellie was now truly interested.

"What song is it?" Connor turned to talk to her, and walked backwards.

"A man named Frank Sinatra sang it. It's about how great New York is." As they walked, he began to teach Ellie the song. By the time they got to the end of the bridge, Ellie had learned only a small part of the song. As they were walking, Connor slowed down and whispered.

"Joel, we need to move now. There are snipers on the roof. On my go, run inside." Joel nodded, and tapped Ellie. She looked at him, and was about to ask why, when Connor pulled out his gun and shot wildly.

"Run! Go! Go!" They ran, and gunshots followed them. As they ran through the building, they came across more and more hunters. This group tried to corner them, but the trio was able to gun and run effectively. Connor was slowing down though. He knew that he would get them killed, so he stopped. Ellie turned and saw him.

"Connor, what are you doing?! Come on!" Connor looked at her with a sad smile.

"Joel, you take care of her, okay?" Joel knew what he was doing, and nodded. Connor ran down another hallway and made a serious amount of noise. He grabbed Ellie's arm and started to run, while she tried to stop him.

"Joel, get the fuck off me! Connor, don't do this!" Joel silenced her, as hunters ran past, looking for Connor. They heard him through his walkie-talkie.

"Come on, you fuckers! Bring it on!" They heard his gun going off, and then it stopped. They heard static on his walkie-talkie, and Ellie was shocked. _Just like that, he's gone._ She tried not to cry as they ran away.

In his office, Nate awaited the news from his assistant. When Mitchell arrived, the king spun his chair to face the man.

"Well?"

"Sir, we got one of them, but the other two ran off. We couldn't find them sir. I'm sorry." Nate walked over to his assistant, and put his arm on his shoulder.

"I understand. There was a gunfight, and they escaped. You did the best you could. He walked the man over to the window overlooking the city.  
"You helped defend this amazing kingdom that we have. Thank you Mitchell. You did good." Mitchell nodded, and looked out over the city. Nathan looked at the man, and sighed.

"If only we could fly, it would so much easier to get those two. Once we find gas, we will get the helicopters up and running. Then, we can easily defend this beautiful place. If only we could fly." Mitchell nodded, and turned to leave, but Nathan wasn't done with the man. He spoke so quietly, Mitchell never saw it coming.

"Fly, my pretties. Fly." And with that, the assistant soon found himself plummeting toward the pavement below.

**Nathan is crazy! He reminds me of a man from a certain comic, who carries a certain bat with a certain wire wrapped around it. I love his character! And as I promised someone died. Poor Mitchell. That is one of my fears, falling to my death. I would hate to be thrown out of a glass window. Also, it's the apocalypse! How is Nathan going to get that replaced? Oh yeah, and poor Connor. Shot to death, dying for people who were prepared to abandon him. How will Ellie feel about this? Tune in next time, True Believers!**

**Update: Whoever can name what movie line Nathan said first, will be able to get a ****reward: maybe a plot request, answer a question, etc. To enter, send me a private message with your answer.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Not Sure Yet

**So guys, this is the next chapter. It's the longest one, but before you read that, I have something to say. I am sorry that I didn't get this up last night. I had a ton of things to do, but that's no excuse when there are seven days in the week. So, I am sorry. I hope this doesn't detract anyone from reviewing, so please do so. I means so much to me, and that way, I know what you want to read in the future. Please enjoy, and take care everybody.**

**Guess who doesn't own The Last of US? ME!**

**Three years earlier**

Connor blew on his hands one more time. _Why is it so damn cold? _He looked at his partner, John, who was doing the exact same thing.

"Connor, I am telling you man, it gets colder and colder every day. Just because it's the apocalypse, doesn't meant that it needs to be super cold."  
"No, that's just because it's the middle of winter."

"Yeah, but has it ever been this cold out before. I bet it's in the low singles tonight."

"If only we had a thermometer." John groaned again. Connor kept walking, and heard his partner continue to talk.

"I bet you it's colder in the barracks." Connor scoffed.

"You're probably right. You'd figure we get a good heating system."  
"Not enough power in the generator, they said." Connor looked around and saw an apartment's lights on. It was long past curfew, and unless this person had a pass, they weren't allowed to run their electricity.

"Speaking of generators." Connor pointed at the building, and John nodded.

"It's your turn to say something." Connor scoffed at his partner and mumbled.

"Of course it is." He walked up the steps and knocked on the door. A dark haired woman opened the door, and Connor forgot what he was doing for a second. _She's...beautiful._ Connor realized that she was talking to him.

"What do you want?"

"Um, miss, my partner and I saw your lights on. You know that we are trying to conserve power in the Quarantine Zone. Do you have a permit miss?" The woman sighed, and looked into Connor's eyes.

"Is it really that big of a problem, cowboy? Don't you have better things to do?" Connor sighed.

"Miss, I need you to power down the lights. It's standard procedure. I'm sorry, but that's how the system works." She looked at him, and nodded.

"Fine." She started to walk back inside the house.

"Um, miss?"

"What, cowboy?"

"I hope you have a good evening." She scoffed, and Connor walked down the stairs.

**One week later**

Connor walked into the hardware store a few blocks from his barracks. He found the tools he needed, and went to the counter. The teenager there had started to scan them, but the warning came up.

"Um, sir, I need to see your ID." Connor sighed. He started to look for it, but he couldn't find it.

"Um, kid, little, I don't have it on me. However, I am a soldier. I need these for a vehicle that broke down." The kid looked like he was going to give, but he didn't.

"Why doesn't the Engineer Corps already have the tools they need?" _Damn, John isn't going to like me being late._

"Listen kid, I need them. Okay? I will come back and show you my ID. Here's the money for it."  
"I can't let you purchase this stuff without a proper military ID."

"Jamie, what's going on?" Connor turned and saw the woman from a few nights ago walking over. She saw him, and grimaced.

"Elizabeth, this man wants to purchase this saw, and a few other power tools, but he doesn't have any ID." Elizabeth grinned, and walked over to Connor.

"So, cowboy, what's your plan? Trying to scare my employees into giving you things you don't have access to?" Connor knew what was coming. _Of course this happens._

"No, miss, but I need these power tools, and while I don't have the engineer's ID, I do have my military ID. That should be all that is required." Elizabeth scoffed, and handed the tools to Jamie.

"Go put these back." Then she turned to Connor.

"I need to deny your purchase. You will get a refund, but if you don't have proper ID, I can't give it to you. It's standard procedure. I'm sorry, but that's how the system works." Connor remembered his words from before, and nodded. As he walked out, he stopped and decided to gamble. He walked back to the counter, and pulled out a piece of paper. He wrote something down.

"When my partner orders the tools, call me. You'll need someone to let you into the barracks." He smiled and walked off. Elizabeth took the paper, and after looking at it for a few seconds, crumpled it up and put it into her pocket.

**Two and a half years later**

Connor walked around outside the wall, and looked at John. It was raining pretty hard, and he couldn't tell what his partner was thinking underneath his gas mask. Connor decided to break the silence.

"Hey, John, do you think that I am a good match for Elizabeth?" John looked at him and tilted his head.

"What do you mean? You two are perfect together." Connor reached into his pocket.

"I wanted to ask her this tonight." He opened the little box, and John found himself staring at the little gold ring inside. It wasn't much, but then again, what was these days?

"Wow, dude. Go for it. Now I know why you didn't want me over tonight. That's a pretty nice.." At that same moment, they both felt a rumble spread through the ground, and turned to watch as something within the wall go up in flames. A burst of static came through the radio.

"We got Fireflies inside the Quarantine Zone! They set off a bomb! All available units, report to Checkpoint 6, South!" John and Connor sprinted back to the main gates, and Jack on the wall saw them. She opened it up for them. They caught the end of the action, and as they walked to help put out the fire, they saw some soldiers waiting to load four Fireflies into the back of a truck to take them to the jail. One of them was shouting about how the government was taking everyone's rights away. Connor paid him no mind, and kept walking. He walked past the dead, and saw John talking to one of the medics.  
"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Corporal. I'm sure." John turned around and saw Connor, and walked over to him.

"Hey, buddy, let's go check the perimeter. Alight?" John started to lightly push him away, but Connor felt the need to go to the medic. And then he saw her. He pushed John out of the way, who sighed, and turned around. Connor ran and grabbed Elizabeth's dead body, and started sobbing. The medic went to move him away, but John grabbed him by the arm, and gave him a look.  
"Let him mourn." Connor just held the woman he loved in his arms, and begged for her to come back. He kept crying, even when the medic came to collect the bodies, and eventually, he was pulled back.

"I know how you feel, buddy. It's okay." Connor mumbled something into his arm.

"What?"  
"It's all my fault." John looked at him, and knew what he was thinking.

"You had nothing to do with this." Connor looked at his best friend, and then something else caught his eye. _The loudmouth._ He pushed John out of the way, and walked over to the Fireflies. The talker was still going.

"I'm sorry that people had to die for you to learn the truth, but that's how things are now!" Connor ran and decked the man. He started pounding his face into the ground, and blood was staining his knuckles. John ran and tackled his partner, and started dragging him away. The other guards were getting the handcuffed Firefly to his feet, and then two shots rang out. A bullet tore through the man's thigh, and then another through his neck. John wrestled the handgun out of his partner's hand, and tossed it away. Connor was still trying to get at the man, who was bleeding to death on the pavement. _I'm sorry, Elizabeth._

**Connor went crazy! So that is what happened to Connor. That is the woman from the picture. That is who he got the rifle from. This chapter had a special inspiration, and only one person knows who. All for you,****_ Mon Petit Cheri._**


	7. Chapter 7

**Shadow here! So enjoy the story. Remember, the theme is 'You doing horrible things for the people you love.' That is the main point of the story. Pay attention, because two familiar faces return. Or to be more accurate, one and a half return.**

**I do not own The Last of Us. Naughty Dog does. But I will one day... Not really.**

Chapter 7: Old and New Faces

Ellie and Joel kept running through the warehouse they found themselves inside. They heard the hunters running down the halls. Joel was leading the way, and after going down a hallway, he stopped, and ducked down. He waved to Ellie to get down. She ducked, and saw a hunter walking down the hallway. He was a younger man, maybe two years older than her. He was shaking; she could tell from the flashlight attached to the gun. _He doesn't want to find anyone._ Joel silently drew his knife, and crept through rooms, and was about to get the boy, when a Stalker dropped down and tore into the boy's throat. He screamed and pulled the trigger on the gun. The bullets flew, and one hit the wall a foot away from Ellie's shoulder. Joel came back, looked at the boy, and began to walk away, when Ellie looked at him.

"Shoot them." Joel shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Because the others will waste time killing them both. That gives us time to escape." He started to walk away, and Ellie followed. She turned back, and saw the boy limply pushing the Stalker's head away from his neck, and watched the pool of blood spread around. She followed Joel, and heard running. Joel and Ellie got down, and looked out of a window. They saw Runners and Clickers running downstairs. They heard shouting, screaming, and gunshots. As they went to leave, they saw the reason all these infected showed up. A Clacker, with a cavity in it's chest that left ribs exposed, was walking slowly toward the windows downstairs, following the noise that was being made. It stopped, and Ellie swore that it looked at them, and _smiled._ But she shook her head, and the Clacker was running downstairs. They continued down the hallway, stopping occasionally in case they might be found. Joel saw a staircase, and went down. He entered a room, and saw scattered across the room were bodies, hunters and infected. He also saw a wall with bloods sprayed across it, and bullet holes along it. _They executed people._ As he and Ellie walked, they came across a body that was so terribly chewed that it no longer had a face. The chest was torn open, and intestines were dangling around it. An arm was missing, and a leg was chewed off.

"Terrible way to go." Joel kept walking, and he heard Ellie sob. He turned and saw what she was pointing at. He followed her finger, and saw the arm attached to Connor's gun. There was blood covering it, and although most of the arm was tore open, some of the tattoo was easily seen. _Semper Fi._ Joel didn't know what to say. He just walked closer to Ellie, and put his arm around her.

"We have to go. There's nothing we can do." Ellie nodded. _We're alive, and Connor's dead. But he would want us to get to safety._ She bent over, and after grabbing Connor's rifle, she walked out of the room with Joel. The sun had gone down, but there was still a little bit of light out. They walked to the bridge, and started to run across it. But when they got to the end, they stopped running. Because there was a blockade on the bridge. A man who had a white shirt, and a blood red tie stood on top of a ruined tank. He saw them, and started to slowly clap.

"Well, you made it pretty damn far. I'm quite surprised. Actually, no I'm not. No way a girl and her father can last twenty-four years in this hell. Unless they know what their doing. So, for the longest time, you've been the strongest group you've encountered. Until now. Because now, you are in my city. New York City. So, I have one question for you. What the hell are you doing here?" Joel watched as soldiers walked around and aimed their guns at him. The man jumped down, and Ellie watched as the 'ruined' tank turned its turret toward them. The duo got on their knees, and set their weapons on the ground. Some hunters came and took their weapons. The man knelt in front of them. He smiled, but to Ellie, it looked like a vampire's smile. It fit perfectly, considering how pale the man was.

"My name's Nate. What's yours, dear?" Ellie frowned, and didn't look at him. Nate stopped smiling, and turned to Joel.

"Yours?"

"What do you want with us?" Nate laughed.

"Listen, I just want to know what you're doing here. Tell me, and I will let you go. Promise." Joel considered his options, and decided to gamble.

"We were just passing through. We wanted to get to the other side of the city." Nate looked at them, and nodded.

"Who fired first?" Ellie was confused.

"What?"

"Did you shoot at my people, or did they shoot first?" Joel took a chance.

"They were aiming at us, and our friend opened fire to protect us." Nate nodded, and stood up.

"Then I'm sorry you felt threatened. Walk to the end of the bridge, and my friends will give you your stuff back. Just don't try anything." Joel and Ellie looked at each other, and slowly stood. They were expecting a double cross, and were ready for it. As they walked, they heard Nate say something. They turned and saw about a hundred yards away, the boy had reanimated. His head was tilted to the left, because part of his neck was missing. He was walking slowly toward them, and when he saw them, he screeched and charged toward them. They watched as Nate walked to the creature, and when it almost jumped on him, he ducked. The Runner hit the ground, and had a hard time getting up. Nate drew a blade, and tackled the boy. He drove the blade into his neck, and watched as the boy screeched in pain. He tried to get the blade out, but Nate kept pushing it into the boy. Ellie watched as the Runner went limp, and Nate twisted the blade, and then pulled it out. He stood up slowly, and shakily. There was blood on his shirt, and he turned to them. Tears were flowing out of his eyes. When he turned, a dark shadow had formed over Nathan's face.

"Take them! Now! Bring them back to the Castle!" Joel and Ellie were grabbed and thrown to the ground. Nathan was pacing, futilely trying to keep his cool, and not break down. But it was inevitable. Joel, however, didn't care.

"What the hell happened to let them go?!" Nathan turned to him.

"What did the boy do? Why did he do to deserve dying like that?! He lost his brother and sister, saw his mother torn apart in front of his eyes! He did nothing to deserve to die! Yet, you let him get killed! You let him die! YOU LET HIM DIE!" At this point, Nathan wasn't talking to Joel anymore. He was shouting at the sky, God, and whoever the hell else was up there. Ellie watched him crumple and cry near the edge of the bridge. Then she and Joel were taken away. A large man, wearing a grey jacket, walked over to Nathan, and knelt down.

"My friend? Are you good?" Nathan closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, Nate spoke.

"If good people do bad things, to protect the ones they love, does that make them a bad person?" The man didn't answer, and Nate stood up. He wiped the dirt off of his shirt, and then realized that the blood had ruined it. He took the shirt and tie off, and walked back to the dead city. Unbeknownst to the occupants of the bridge, a single eye was watching them from across the bridge.

**So, things have started to get crazy! Even though I will bring it up later, I will clarify now. Our New York friend has a problem with his identity. Nate is the calm, compassionate, collected, and intelligent man. Nathan is the ruthless, cold, calculating, broken monster that comes out when Nate is too emotionally compromised. Nathan takes over when Nate can't emotionally handle the situation. Remember, review, and tell me: do you want a back story on Nathan/Nate, or not? Second question: Who is your favorite character? (Infected count)**

**Also finally, I will be updating on Saturdays from now on, because it is easier. I probably won't be able to update this weekend, so this is an early gift for the week, or an apology for last week. Take your pick!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: A Walk in the Park

**Naughty Dog owns the everything, except for the plot I am writing. But everything else is theirs!**

**Hey guys! So fair warning, this is the longest chapter. It is almost twice as long as every other chapter. So there is that. This is dealing with Nate's past. A few new characters are introduced, some old ones come back, but this is mostly a while back. So this is kind of a look at Nate's past. Things will happen! Time will pass! And go backward! Sandwiches will be eaten! And a member of our cast gets his namesake. See if you can guess it! Enjoy! And review!**

Joel woke up in the dark. He stood up slowly, and waited for his eyes to get accustomed to the darkness. When they did, he realized he was in a closet. He went to the door, and tried the door knob, but it was locked from the outside. He walked back to the wall, and sat down. He was trying to plan his way out, when he heard the door open. The light from outside was blinding, and Joel covered his eyes. He heard someone walk into the closet, and when he was able to open his eyes, he saw Nate kneeling in front of him.

"I was wondering when you would try to leave. I had been sitting outside for quite sometime, waiting. But now you're awake, so we can talk." Nate turned around, and whistled at one of the guards.

"Spencer, bring us some chairs, will you?" The guard nodded, and walked off. Nate continued talking while he waited for the chairs.

"You don't seem like a man who enjoys small talk, so I get started. What happened to Hans?" Joel didn't have a clue to who Hans was.

"Who is that?"

"The boy from the bridge." Joel remembered Nate's outburst after he killed the boy.

"He was walking down a hallway, and he was tackled by an infected. It tore his throat out." Nate was trying to contain himself, he didn't want to have an outburst here.

"Could you have stopped it?" Joel looked the man in the eyes, and gave his answer.

"No." Nate stood up, and began walking around the room, and was trying to keep his cool. _Not this time._ Spencer came back in with the chairs, and set them down in the room. Nate sat in his, and waited for Joel to sit in his. Joel slowly stood up, and sat down, keeping an eye on Nate the whole time. Nate leaned back, and his left hand was spinning a card. Joel eyed the card, and when Nate saw his gaze, he stopped spinning it.

"Sorry. Nervous habit. But as you were saying, could you have stopped his suffering?" Joel thought about his options: either he could lie, and not make Nate mad, and maybe survive to plan Ellie and his escape, or he could tell the truth, and make Nate lose it, which make Nate not as careful with his reactions. His outburst on the bridge was pretty bad, and if he lost control, Joel would seize it, and use it to his advantage.

"I could've, but I wanted to buy myself sometime. I needed to get some time so we could escape. Because it's either him or me, and I always pick me. So I let him die." Nate looked into Joel's eyes, and turned away. He took a deep breath, and stood up. He left the room, and Joel saw the two guards close the door. He grabbed his chair, and broke off one of the legs. _It's not that great, but it will have to do._ Joel waited for them to open the door, and he heard the latch click, he ran at the door. The shotgun blast threw him back, and Joel slammed against the wall. Nate opened the door, and handed the gun to Spencer.

"Rubber bullets work pretty well, don't you agree?" Joel was coughing and struggling to stand up. Nate walked in and picked up the piece of wood. He examined it, and then swung it at Joel's head. It connected, and Joel only saw blackness. Nate dropped the wood, and walked out of the room.  
"Bring him to the roof." The guards nodded, and grabbed Joel. After they left, Nate looked at the bloody piece of wood. The voice in his head was congratulating him. _You did a good thing. He was probably going to try to kill people here. You stopped it. Good job._ Nate sighed, and left the room.

"I'm sorry, Hans."

**Sixteen years ago.**

Elsa was running for her life, and trying to keep her baby from making too much noise. _Hush, little one._ The streets of New York were as foreign to her now, as they were when she arrived in America twenty years ago. She turned a corner, and saw a thin, pale man running into a building. She ran to catch up to him, and when he saw her, he had a look of fear on his face. He slammed the glass door behind him, and backed away. Elsa stopped, and begged him to open it.  
"Please, let us in! Don't let my baby die!" The man looked at her with fear in his eyes, and after shaking his head, he ran up the stairs. Elsa slammed on the door, but all that did was make noise. Noise, which attracted a small group of infected to the area. She saw a group of Runners sprinting down the street toward her. She ran and was able to make it to an alleyway, before they saw her. She looked for an exit, but couldn't find one. It was a dead end. Then she saw a little box leaning against a dumpster. She looked at her child, and before her mind could stop her, put him on the ground, and covered him with the box. She wiped the tears, and ran out into the street. She saw a gun lying on the ground, and picked it up. The Runners had heard her, and turned around. She aimed the gun, and shot at them. The first shot missed. She tried to figure out how to use the weapon, and after cocking it, she aimed again. The second shot missed. She cocked it, with a little bit more ease than before, and aimed. The third shot connected with one Runner, and took out his chest. The other three though, were still coming. The fourth shot hit another runner and crippled it. The two remaining Runners were about thirty yards away, and Elsa pulled the trigger. This shell blew part of the closest Runner's face off, and it screeched and rolled on the ground, grabbing the remaining part of its head. The final one was able to tackle Elsa before she could shoot it. It bit her, and began eating her. All of this was watched by the thin, pale man on the balcony.

**The next day**

The pale, thin man walked down the stairs, slowly, in case any more of those things were outside. He had the Runner that ate the lady leave after an hour, and the other one she shot, was stumbling away, holding its face. _How that thing is still alive, I'll never know._ He walked slowly out of the building, and saw what was left of her body on the ground. He walked faster, thoroughly creeped out, and began checking cars. He opened a car door, and was looking for the keys, when he heard the sound. A sound that he never thought he would hear again. A sound from a world forgotten. The sound, of crying. He walked to the alleyway, and saw a box, leaned against a dumpster, shaking. He drew his knife, and walked slowly toward the little container. He pulled it off, brandishing the blade, and saw a little baby, crying. When it saw him, it got quieter. The pale man didn't know what to do. _I can't just leave it here, but I don't know how to take care of a baby._ The pale man looked into the blue eyes of the infant, and made his decision. _If I live, so does the baby. My fate is the same as his._ He lifted the baby up, and carried it back to the car. He saw the baby had a little name tag attached to the blanket. _Hans._

"Hello, Hans. My name's Nate."

**A few hours later**

Nate looked at the car, and saw Hans in the backseat, looking up, and smiling. _He doesn't know the hell we're in right now. I envy him._ The car had just enough gas to get them stranded a few miles from the bridge out of the city. Nate knew it was better to walk in the forest, than on the highway. He grabbed his backpack, and after picking up Hans, walked into the forest. Around twenty minutes into their journey, Nate heard his stomach groan. _I haven't eaten in a day or so._ He stopped, and sat down. He put the baby down on a rock next to him, and took out a drink of vitamin water he had found in his camp. He went to take a sip, and looked at the little infant. _He eats before I do._ He leaned over and started to pour a few drops into Hans' mouth, when he heard a twig snap. He grabbed his knife, and looked around. He quickly set Hans down behind a rock, and walked forward, blade raised. Suddenly, he was slammed down, and then dragged and raised. He looked up and saw the tripwire around his leg. He reached and tried to reach it, but he couldn't. He then saw a large man in a grey fur jacket appear out of the bushes.

"Hmm. What have I caught in my net today?" Nate recognized the thick Russian accent, and saw the man walk over to his stuff. He kept reaching to try and cut the rope, but he still couldn't do it. He looked and saw The Russian pick up his bag, and then his fears became realized. The Russian picked up Hans, and looked him over.

"No! Get the hell away from him, or I'll kill you!" Nate knew the man was a couple dozen feet out of his grasp, yet reached like he was inches away, The Russian turned to him, and gave a full-throated laugh. He was holding Hans in one arm, a large machete in the other.

"What makes you think that you could do anything to me? You probably weigh a hundred and five pounds soaking wet, you're hanging from a tree a good distance away from me, and you have a blade that looks like my mother's butter knife. What position are you in to threaten me? I can do anything I want, and you can't stop me." The Russian walked over to the trunk of the tree and raised his blade.  
"NO!" The Russian brought the blade down, and Nate fell from the tree. He stood up, and saw Hans, unharmed and realized The Russian had cut him down. He wanted to run and stab the man, but couldn't guarantee Hans' safety. He raised his 'butter knife' as The Russian walked closer to him. The large man handed him Hans, and began walking away.

"I have a small camp, if you want help." Nate carefully looked Hans over, and after grabbing his stuff, cautiously followed The Russian into the woods. After a few minutes of silence, Nate spoke up.

"Who are you?"

"Spencer." _Not a big talker._

"Is there something that follows, or just Spencer?"

"Just Spencer."

"Why didn't you kill me, 'Just Spencer?'"

"Because I would have had to take care of the baby. Ah, here we are." Nate saw a little camp set up, with a tent, a place for fire, and more supplies. Spencer knelt and began making a fire, and Nate sat down. He looked at Hans, and frowned. _Don't worry, I will get us out of this._

"So why is a man and a baby walking around in the forest?"

"I was leaving the city, and I stumbled across the little one."

"You just adopted him like that?" Nate thought about his answer.

"Yes. 'Just' like that." Spencer noticed the emphasis on the 'just' and decided not to pry further.

"So why did you let us live?"

"Because I know that even though I could kill you, it would be a hassle. You aren't strong, but you would die to protect the little one. Also, why would I kill a baby?" Nate nodded, and realized that maybe the whole world wasn't that bad.

**Later that night**

Nate heard rustling outside of the tent. He woke up, and looked outside. He saw Spencer packing his stuff up.

"Where are you going?"

"I travel alone."  
"Wait! You can't just leave! What am I going to do!?"

"You've survived this long, I'm pretty sure you don't need me."

"I can't take care of the baby by myself!" Spencer turned and took a step toward him.  
"Then why did you save it?" Nate knew he should be intimidated, but only felt rage.

"Because I refuse to believe that the world is only bad. I believe there are good people in the world still!" Spencer walked away into the forest.

"There is no such thing as good people anymore." Nate found himself alone, with the baby. He turned around and saw that Spencer had left him the tent, and a lot of supplies. He fit as many of them into his backpack, and folded the tent as best he could. He gently picked up Hans, and headed back to the highway. When he got there, he decided to look around to see if any cars still worked. He set Hans down, and began pulling door handles. He opened a door, and heard a click.

"Give me your stuff, and I might not kill you." He slowly took off his backpack, and handed it to the man. He turned around, and saw a group of five men standing around.

"Get on your knees!" Nate dropped to his knees, and heard Hans crying. A man was picking the infant up, and shaking him.

"Get that thing quiet!"

"I'm trying!"

"Screw this!" The leader walked over and pulled out a knife.

"NO!" Nate jumped up and tackled the man. He tried to get the knife, but couldn't and was thrown off. The other guys started kicking him, and he felt a bat hit him a few times. They stopped and Nate tried to get up, but the man kicked him in the stomach, He retrieved his knife and went back to Hans. He was about to bring the blade down, when they heard rustling. The group stopped and looked at the bushes. They heard someone yell, and watched as a large grey bear grabbed him, and snapped his neck. A shot rang out and another hunter fell over dead. The two hunters left charged at this creature, and tried to kill it. Nate was finally able to stand up, and after finding his knife, jammed it into the leader's back. The man screamed, and dropped Hans. Nate caught him just in time, and set him down. He turned to the leader who was crawling to a gun. He smiled, and grabbed the leader by his shirt and slammed him into the pavement. The looked into Nathan's eyes in fear, who only smiled back. After a few minutes, Nate appeared from behind the car, and his eyes were glazed over. He saw Spencer holding Hans, who was smiling, and trying to grab his beard. When The Russian saw him, he handed the infant to the pale man.

"Why'd you come back?"

"Because there are still good people in the world." Nate cuddled the little baby in his arms, and after a few minutes looked into Spencer's eyes.

"If a good person does something terrible, to protect the ones they love, does that make them a bad person?" Spencer looked at the thin, pale man, and shook his head.

"Only if you protecting the ones you love is an excuse."

**That is it! You made it through the longest chapter in existence! Give yourself a pat on the back. Remember, review and tell me. Do you like this new length? Is it too long? Do you like these flashbacks that humanize people, or do you just want to hate characters? Tell me, because I want to know! Also, another giveaway! Who is the character that gets his/her/its namesake? First one to private message me with the correct answer gets a prize that may include, but is not limited to: a plot request, an answered question, etc. See you guys later, and take care everybody.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, guys! Shadow is back! Have you guys ever been so happy, that you feel like if you don't share it, you'll explode? I feel like that, so I will share. I'm going to play a little game. I've seen other authors do it, and it will probably only be this one time. This is a limited time offer! I will upload not only this chapter, but the next one tomorrow! There is a catch, though. If there aren't enough reviews, then you wait until next Saturday. I think about ten will do it. There is also an incentive: This chapter ends with a cliffhanger, so seven days seems like a long time! And also, I have a hard time being patient about my uploads, so help me help you! That's about it!**

**Naughty Dog owns the people who owns the rights who own the entire world of Ellie and Joel, who own everyone in that world. I just write stuff.**

Chapter 9: Lying Gets You Killed

Ellie woke up in a room that was well lit, and she realized that she was on a makeshift bed. She looked around, and saw that while the room was furnished, there was still a cell door on one end. Outside, stood the largest man she had ever seen. He was wearing a grey fur coat, even though it was the middle of the summer. He was sitting on a chair, watching her while also playing chess. When he saw her, he grabbed a walkie-talkie.

"Nate, the little one is awake." Ellie heard the response.

"Okay. I'll be down in a second." The man set down the walkie-talkie, and he continued to play chess.

"What are you doing?" The man looked up.

"Playing a game." Despite being locked in a cage, Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Duh. I mean, what game?" The man stood up.

"Chess." Ellie sarcastically widened her eyes. The man was about to explain, but then the door opened. Nate walked into the room. Ellie noticed that he was wearing a suit. Not just a jacket and tie, but a vest, and they looked very clean. As if they were just dry-cleaned. If Ellie knew what they looked like. She only knew they existed when she heard Tommy and Joel talking about the world before. Nate walked with an air of authority around him, but it wasn't a cocky air. Nate knew that he belonged in power, but didn't believe that he deserved it. He grabbed the chair, and sat down in front of the cell door. He looked at Ellie, and smiled his vampire smile.

"So, you never did tell me your name." Ellie frowned.

"Why do you care?" Nate laughed, and turned to the large man behind him.

"Spencer, I forgot the sarcasm that came with teenagers." He turned back to Ellie.

"Why can't we have a civil conversation?" Ellie scoffed.

"Maybe because you knocked me and my friend out. And you killed my other friend. I'm not going to talk to you." Nate chuckled.

"Well, your friend let my son die. Slowly. Painfully. He let him come back. That's got to account for something. So, he will pay for it. But you, you're innocent. You haven't done anything. Now, lets talk about that bite." Ellie gasped, and looked down. She saw her sleeve was pulled up. The vampire smiled got larger.

"So, how old is that?" Ellie realized there was no way out.

"It's four years old." Nate's mouth dropped open, and Spencer was surprised.

"Really?" Nate thought about it, and realized that this was the way to save humanity. He knew what he had to do.

"Spencer, we are going to take her up to the roof. We'll show the people what she is, and we can start making a cure soon." He stepped closer to Spencer, and gave him a hug.

"Old friend, this is it. We can survive." Spencer smiled, and nodded. He walked over and opened the cell doors. He grabbed Ellie, and Nate led them out of the room.

They were on top of the roof, and Ellie saw lots of people. There were men, women, and children. There were kids her age, and families, and elderly people. It was a whole community. She saw Joel on his knees, with his hands handcuffed behind his back. He saw her, and started to struggle.

"Nate! You let her go! She has nothing to do with this!" Nate walked over to Ellie.

"Oh, but she does!" He grabbed her arm and pulled up her sleeve, showing the bite mark. Ellie struggled, but after showing the people, Nate let her go. The crowd gasped. One man jumped up.

"How could you bring her here. Nate?" Others joined him.

"How could you put us in danger?"

"We trusted you!" Some people began to stand up, but Nate quieted them.

"Listen! I know it's a shock, and I know you have many questions, but let me ask one question. Do you trust me? After all we've been through? Haven't I earned the benefit of the doubt?" The crowd began to settle, because this man was right. He had always placed them before himself. He was their leader, and he had never done anything to harm them. Nate spoke again.

"Now, may I continue?" The man who had stood up first looked around, and nodded. Ellie realized that while Nate was crazy, he cared for these people, and he was their leader, so he did what they wanted.

"Ellie, could you please tell us all: How long ago were you bit?" Ellie looked around, and panicked. She looked at Joel, who just sadly nodded.  
"Five years ago." Her voice was so soft, that even Spencer, who was three feet away, didn't hear her. Nate looked at her with confusion.

"What was that?"

"Four years ago." The crowd gasped, and many of them were shocked. Nate smiled.

"Do you all know what this means? There is an end to this hell that we have been living in. We can end it. She is the key to it all." Ellie shook her head.

"That's not true! We've tried! No one can cure the disease!" Nate looked at her, and he looked at Joel. When he saw the look in Joel's eyes, he smiled. He walked over to Joel, and knelt down.

"Is this true?"

"Yes. It is. We went to the fireflies in Utah. They couldn't get the cure. She wasn't the only one who had survived a bite." Nate smiled, and looked at Ellie.

"Let's just say Joel, that she could have had the cure inside of her. Would she be alive if they performed surgery?" The look in Joel's eyes was the only confirmation that Nate needed. Ellie looked at Joel, and the little doubt she had been carrying for four years, suddenly wasn't so little. Nate realized that Ellie didn't know this information.

"Joel, I have another question. If you do something horrible, to protect the ones you love, does that make it okay?" He stood up and walked away. Ellie realized what Nate was hinting at. Three years ago, Joel had told her that the Fireflies had given up on looking for a cure. It wasn't his choice to make. If she had to die for the cure, then so be it. But he wasn't the one to make that decision. Nate knew that he had both of them exactly where he wanted them. He looked at his audience, took a deep breath, and picked up his weapon of choice. He walked over behind Joel, who heard Ellie screaming. Nathan smiled the vampire smile, but no one saw.

"Joel, when you and I talked last, you said that if it ever came down you or someone else, you would choose yourself every time. Now I give you a choice: you or Ellie?" Joel looked at Ellie, who was hurt beyond all belief. She was trying to get free, and he saw no way out of this one. He looked up at the crowd. There, straight ahead, was Sarah. She was looking right at him, and she waved. She mouthed the words: I love you, daddy. Tears were threatening to leave Joel's eyes. Nathan turned to the crowd.

"Some of you might not want to watch." Nathan raised the bat, and got ready. Joel was still looking at his daughter.

"I love you too."

"On second thought, I won't give you a choice." Then Joel's world went black.

**So that's it! I'm pretty sure that some of you recognize the symmetry to a certain comic character with a certain weapon. I couldn't help myself! It's such a great scene! Remember, I am not responsible for you guys looking up what I'm talking about, and then spoiling the plot for yourself. So don't blame me, please. Remember the challenge!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! Just gonna warn you now, this might a tiny bit gory. Not too much, but enough that some people might need a warning. Also, remember to review. I need to know if you guys like certain things. Like, do you like Nathan/Nate? Should I find a way to get rid of the double-personality? Only way I know about that is if you guys tell me. So enjoy!**

Chapter 10: What To Do

Ellie watched as the bat hit the back of Joel's head. His eyes filled with shock, and then rolled back into his head. As Joel fell over, a single tear left his eye. His body hit the pavement with a sickening thud, and Nathan stood over him. There was a grimace on his face, like he didn't like having to do this. But Ellie saw through the facade that was Nate. She knew that in this moment, Nathan was relishing in the moment. He raised the bat again, and then brought it down on Joel's head. When he lifted the wooden bat, there was a bit of blood on it. He brought it down again, and there was a dent in Joel's head. Nathan brought it back up, and there was a lot more blood on its stained shaft. He slammed it back down, and a piece of Joel's head fell off. Nathan tried to pull it up, but it was stuck. He yanked, and then it came loose. Another piece of Joel's head came off with it, and then Nathan didn't delay. He brought it down one more time, and the force broke the bat in half. It splintered, and a shard went into Nathan's arm. But he didn't notice. He looked at what was left of Joel's head, then stared at Ellie. The audience he had was turned away in disgust. They weren't disgusted that did it, they were disgusted by the event. It was necessary. Besides, Nate would never expose them to something that wouldn't help them. He took care of them. Ellie looked into the depths of Nathan's eyes, and saw him smiling. And with a turn, he put his foot on Joel's shoulder, and gave it a shove. Ellie watched as her closest friend's body fell over the edge of the building, plummeting over the side. Nathan took a step back, and stared at the bat. When he looked at his hands, Nate knew what he had done. Ellie didn't know what to do, but she knew that she was going to kill this man. She was screaming and crying, and she tried to get up, but Spencer was holding her. She was hitting his arm, but he didn't let her go. So Ellie did the only thing she knew would work: she bit his arm. Spencer dropped her, and Ellie ran at Nate. She tackled him, and began hitting him. Nate pushed her off, and stood up. Ellie stood up and ran at him again, and he grabbed her, and threw her down. Ellie tried to get him, but Spencer grabbed her, and held her arms this time.

"Spencer, put her in the room. Now!" Ellie kept screaming, and Spencer walked her downstairs. He locked her in the closet, and walked away. Spencer told two guards to watch the door. Ellie was still screaming and crying. How could he do that? Why did he have to kill Joel? She couldn't stop herself from crying. But as sad as she was, she was still furious. Why would Joel lie to me? She didn't know how to feel. Should she try to kill Nate? Yes, I should. He killed Joel. But I won't survive, and the cure will never be made. If they get the cure, then I die anyway. Ellie didn't know what to do, and realized she was tired. She was having the hardest time staying awake. Ellie fell asleep, but when she did, she was still crying.

Nate was looking out of the broken window in his office, and he heard the door open. He turned around, and saw his best friend. He stood up, and walked over to the bear-like Russian.

"Spencer, what did the doctor say?"

"He said it would be fine. As long as it doesn't get infected." When he saw the look of horror on Nate's face, he laughed.

"Regular infected. Bacteria, not the fungus." Nate let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding.

"Don't scare me like that, old friend." He walked back to his desk, and sat down. Spencer was looking at his friend, no longer with the light of loyalty, but a spark of fear, and then he spoke.

"Nate, I'm going to scout out the surrounding neighborhoods across the bridge. I will take a car, and some extra gas. I'm planning on staying for a day or two." Nat turned his chair around, with worry in his eyes.

"Who's going with you?"

"No one." Nate was worried. He didn't want to lose his friend. Spencer saw the fear in 's eyes, and laughed.

"I always do better alone, right?" Nate thought about it, and nodded.

"Fine, but if you aren't back in two days, I'm coming to get you." Spencer nodded, and left.

"Good bye, old friend."

"Good bye, Nate." Spencer closed the door, knowing that was the last time he would see the man.

Ellie thought about the situation, and decided that she would kill as many of them as she could. She would rather die than help them. She realized she might be dooming humanity, but it didn't matter. Ellie was planning how to get out of the room, and she realized that eventually, someone would have to walk in. And when they did, she would be ready. Ellie looked around her room, and realized that there wasn't much to use, except for some boxes. She looked around, and realized that there was a sharp stick hidden behind some boxes, and knew what happened. Thank you, Joel. Ellie didn't know what to think, but decided to reserve judgement for later. If I'm still alive. No, I shouldn't think like that. She took the stick, and broke it so it was smaller, almost like a knife. All Ellie had to do was wait. She sat by the door, and waited. The best case scenario would be if comes to get me himself. Ellie was ready, and she knew that it would be hard, but she was prepared to do it. It had been awhile since she had to kill someone. Ever since...Tommy's.

Two years earlier

Ellie was shaken from her sleep, and saw Joel looking at her. She was still tired, but was nevertheless alert.

"What's up?" Joel started to grab her stuff and put it into her bag.

"We need to go!" He continued to pack her stuff, and handed a pistol to her.

"What about Tommy? Are we going to say good bye?" Joel stopped what he was doing, and looked at her with sadness in his eyes.

"Tommy is dead." Ellie saw the tears in her friend's eyes. She jumped up, and didn't think about it. She just ran and hugged him. He gave her a hug, and then let go.

"Come on. We have to go." She picked up her bag, and they left the room. Ellie could smell the smoke now, and when Joel opened the door, she saw infected running around, and eating people. She saw her neighbors defending themselves, and she saw people shooting at them. They were being sieged by infected and hunters. A few bullets hit the wall behind her, and she turned and fired at the nearest person. Joel pulled her down, and they hid behind a wall. Ellie turned and saw a body on the ground, its head missing. Ellie didn't need the face to recognize her mayor and friend. Joel ran and picked up Tommy's discarded shotgun, and handed it to Ellie. Ellie was still looking at the indent in the wall above the stump that was Tommy's neck. She takes the gun from Joel, who nods, and walks over his dead brother's body. They run to the gate, and with one last look at his brother, Joel leads Ellie through and back out into the wilderness. But there is an even bigger war going on outside. Even though it's night time, the fire that is consuming the town gives off enough light. Ellie watches as a hunter shoots an infected, and then the person it was eating. A bloater is lumbering about, throwing it's weird fungus bombs at people. Joel puts on his gas mask, and leads Ellie out. As they run through the forest, Ellie trips. When she goes to get up, a man comes over and kicks her. Joel tackles him, and begins hitting him. Ellie slowly gets up, and sees someone pointing a gun at Joel. She runs forward, and stabs the man. He screams, and when he falls over, Ellie stabs him again. She continues to stab him, and she is sobbing. All the loss, all the pain is coming out into the thrusts. Joel grabs her, and pulls her away.

"Ellie! We have to go!"

"They killed him, Joel! They killed your brother! How are you fine?!"

"I'm not! Okay?! I'm not fine! But I promised people I would protect you, so I have to forget that he died. Until I get you to safety! I feel bad, but we can't do anything for them now! We have to run!" As if on cue, the bloater came through the brush, and roared. Joel picked Ellie up, and ran. He was running so fast, he couldn't see where he was going. Joel tripped, and they fell into the river. Joel was submerged, but instinct made him breathe in, and he swallowed water. He kicked his feet, and got above water level. He took a deep breath, and fought to not cough. He looked around, and saw Ellie trying to swim to shore. While she was able to swim, she wasn't as good as he was, and she was swimming against the current. Even Joel couldn't swim against the current for long. He swam over, and helped her get to the shore. He bent over, and began coughing up water. His ears still ringing, and he wasn't able to fully function, so when Ellie touched him, he grabbed her arm, and pulled her to the ground. Joel was in survival mode, but when he saw her face, he stopped. He sat up, and looked at Ellie. She was scared, and she scampered back a few feet.

"I'm sorry, Ellie. I'm still out of it." She nodded, but kept her distance. Joel looked around, and grabbed his gun. He stood up, and looked around. He saw the smoke in the sky, and knew Tommy's home was still burning. He looked in the opposite direction and started walking. They walked for a few hours, and Joel decided to break the silence.

"Hey, Ellie. Were you swimming with your pack on? Cause that's good. You've been making progress…" Joel turned around, and saw Ellie had stopped walking. She was looking at him, and her lips were quivering.

"Oh, Ellie." Joel dropped his gun, and caught her as she fell over, sobs shaking her whole body.

"It's okay. Get it out, baby. It's okay." He was stroking her head, and she was crying into his shoulder. Joel knew that he should hold it together for them, someone had to be alert, but he couldn't. This was someone who he had been around for his entire life, except for the few years before Tommy was born. Tommy was the last family Joel had. Not true. I have Ellie. Joel felt the tear leave his eye, and forced himself to hold it together. Even though Ellie was done, she still didn't move. Joel looked down, and realized that she had cried herself to sleep. He set her down gently, and took out a blanket from his backpack. It was wrapped in plastic, so it was dry. He wrapped her inside it, and leaned against a tree. Thank god it's the middle of the summer. Joel leaned against a tree, and closed his eyes for a second to rest.

"Joel! Joel, you awake?" Joel opened his eyes, and saw that the sun was out. Ellie was shaking his arm, and he saw the look of worry on her face.

"Joel, what's the plan?" Joel stood up, and realized he was hungry.

"Do you have any food?" Ellie shook her head.

"Then we need to find some." Joel walked over and grabbed his gun, and checked it to make sure it was loaded. He looked at Ellie, who was confused.

"Why don't we go back to Tommy's compound?"

"Ellie. There were infected and hunters. If anyone is still alive, odd's are they aren't friendly. So going back would be dangerous. Also, I doubt there is anything left. It's not worth going back to." Ellie nodded, and she felt bad. All those people. Ellie looked up, and saw Joel walking away. She ran to catch up, and looked up at the sky. Here we go again.

Present

Ellie was shaken from her memory from a thumping outside the room. She silently stood up, and waited by the door. She heard it open, and when she saw a man walk in, she jumped and brought the stick down in between his shoulder blades. For Joel.

**Did you guys like the chapter? Sucks what happened to Joel, right? I felt like he had to go, and while I will miss him, I will honor his memory with something good. Also, the raid on Tommy's was pretty good right? Tell me what you think! I feel great when you guys do. Thank you for reading, and take care everybody!**


	11. Chapter 11

**So, I ask that you guys hang in there with me. I realize that some of you didn't like the turn the story took with what happened to Joel. I have been wanting to do that, and I felt that it was a required step so the characters can develop. I understand that some people didn't like it, and I know that from reviews. So if you guys tell me, 'Hey Shadow, you screwed up!' I'll know that next time, maybe the characters don't need to develop that soon. I'm not going to make any promises, but if you tell me what you think, I'll know what to try to write about. Also, if you request something in the reviews, and I haven't written it in, please note that I might be saving it for later. So now, without further delay, I give you, Chapter 11! Enjoy, and take care everybody.**

**Naughty Dog owns the Last of Us, while I own Nate/Nathan, Spencer, and Connor's remains. And One-eye. Don't forget him.**

Chapter 11: Return of the King

Connor poked his head around the corner, and when he saw the hunters, he opened fire. _Got to give them time._

"Come on! Come and get me!" He ran down the stairs, and heard more gunfire. He also heard screeching, and knew that infected were in the area. He ran down the stairs, and hit headlong into a hunter at the bottom. They both dropped their rifles, and Connor stood up. The other man ran, and tackled him. He began hitting him in the stomach, but Connor was able to counter some of the blows. He hit the man in the ribs, and kicked him off. When he stood up, Connor saw the man was holding his assault rifle. Connor stuck both of his hands in the air.

"Hey, let's not do anything crazy." He heard a screech, and saw a clicker jump down the stairs and tackle the man. Connor could've swore the thing was missing half of it's head, but he picked his bag up, and ran. He turned around, and saw his rifle still in the dead man's hands. Forget it. He ran down the hallway, and drew his combat knife. He opened a door, and saw a garage. He began checking cars, and when one opened, he got inside. He started the car, and drove out. _I'll come back for them. I just need to get out and regroup._ Around thirty minutes later, Connor stopped the car when he got to the house that Ellie and Joel had taken him to. He got out, and he pulled out his pistol. He walked slowly up to the door, and opened it. He checked the entire house, and found nothing new. Connor brought his stuff inside, and set it down upstairs. He looked through his stuff, and realized that he still had his bolt-action rifle, and checked it. He loaded it, and looked through the scope, and then sat down on the bed. Connor decided that he would wait for them for three days. If they hadn't returned in three days, then he would go find them. The first day, would be used gathering supplies and scouting out the area. So the next day, Connor went out and didn't find much. All he found was another handgun, but no ammunition. He found some cans of food, but not much else. He used four bullets to kill some infected. The second day, he planned how to get back into the city. The bridge is under guard, so I have to be careful if I go across it. He was drawing out what he knew about the area, when he heard someone walking around outside. He grabbed his rifle, and looked outside. He saw something, but it was too dark. He walked quietly down the stairs, and watched the man walk down the street. He had a large backpack on, and a rifle in his hands. A machete hung from his belt. Connor figured that he was alone, because whoever was with him would have been closer. He silently stepped outside and followed the large man. He aimed his gun at the man's back.

"Stop." The large man stopped, and turned around.

"Put your hands in the air." The man looked at him, and then turned back around and kept walking.

"I said stop!" Connor heard him respond with a thick Russian accent.

"If you are going to kill me, do it. If not, leave me in peace." The man kept walking. Connor ran to catch up to him.

"I will shoot you if you don't stop." The man turned around, and sat down. He was facing Connor, and he set his rifle down. He took off his backpack and rested it against the curb.

"I don't know. I just know that the city is no longer a good place." The Russian sat down on the curb. He set down his backpack, and took off his grey coat. He pulled out a gas can, and set it down. Connor still kept his gun pointed at him. The Russian saw this and laughed.

"Come. Sit down. I don't bite." Connor was wary, but he sat down on the curb, about seven feet from the man. The man took a sandwich out of his bag, and handed it to Connor. Connor took it, and carefully unwrapped it. He took a bite, and watched the Russian closely.

"My name is Spencer." Spencer reached out his hand, and Connor took it cautiously. They shook hands. Connor decided to figure some things out.

"How long have you been in the city?"

"Many years. I have lost track. I was there, and a good man kept me there. But he is no longer alive." Connor knew that feeling. He had lost a lot of friends.

"I'm sorry. How'd he die?"

"He isn't dead. He just changed from the man I knew. He is no longer a good man. So I am leaving." Connor didn't know what to say.

"Where in the city are you from?" Spencer looked up, and frowned.

"Just across the bridge. The community is called the Castle." Connor decided to try his luck.

"You wouldn't happen to know an older guy, and a teenage girl, would you?" The light that entered Spencer's eyes gave Connor his answer.  
"I know them. They are held hostage by the man I called friend. His name is Nate." Connor jumped up, and aimed his rifle at the Russian.

"Tell me where they are." Spencer looked down the barrel, and to Connor's surprise, laughed.

"You think threatening me will get me to tell you? My friend, I don't understand you!" When Spencer stopped laughing, he looked at Connor with seriousness in his eyes.

"All you have to do is ask. Not threaten."

"Where are they?" Spencer then laid out everything he knew about the Castle. Which was, everything. Connor was surprised, and didn't trust him at all.

"Why are you telling me this? Why should I believe you?"  
"Because you will kill me? No, not because of that. You are looking for your friends. It seemed like a good thing to do."

"What's if I'm walking into a trap?"

"You aren't. They aren't expecting anyone to show up." And with that, Spencer stood up, and put on his backpack. Connor backed up, and kept his aim on the man.

"Why did you tell me?" Spencer stopped walking, and sighed.

"Maybe, I want to believe there are still good people in this world. But I know there aren't any left. If there ever were any, they have all turned into bad people." And on that final note, the bear-like Russian walked away, following the road away. Connor watched him, and after a few minutes, he walked into the house. He grabbed his backpack, and packed everything up. He saw his knife on the ground, and picked it up. He screwed his silencer onto his handgun, and walked out of the house.

**A few hours later**

Connor opened the door that read '17th Floor.' He saw this area of the office hadn't been cleared out. He crouched, and silently closed the door behind him. He wished his gas mask was quieter, but no one had heard him yet.

"So, what's the plan?" Connor immediately flattened himself against a wall, and looked around. When he didn't see anyone, he thought about his options.

"I don't know. When Spencer gets back, we'll ask him." Connor let out a breath slowly, and realized no one was talking to him. He looked up, and saw two men standing in front of a door. They were talking about something, but Connor didn't care. He checked his handgun, and then stood up. He shot one, clean in the head. His partner was about to say something, turn and aim, when a bullet hit him in the chest, then another, and the final one in his head. He dropped, and the only sound made, was them hitting the ground. Pretty good. Connor was about to walk away, but decided not to. _If they have two guys guarding a door, then something worthwhile is behind it._ Connor walked over, and twisted the door knob. It didn't budge. _No problem._ Connor pulled out his knife, and jammed it right next to the door knob. He twisted, and the lock broke. He put the knife away, and opened the door. The lights were off, and he walked inside. He felt someone jump on him. He grabbed their arm, and felt the blade in her hand. He flipped his attacker over his shoulder, drew his gun and aimed. But when he saw, he stopped. The other person didn't.

"Ellie."

**The man is back! Hell yeah! For all of you who thought that I killed him off, I would never kill Connor off. I've always liked him, and I have been waiting to get him back into the story for sometime now. So now, he is back in the regular rotation, and we are back in action. Here we go!**


	12. Chapter 12

**So, guys. Sorry I am two days late. I was doing stuff Saturday night, and to be honest, I didn't finish this chapter in time. It was laziness, and I am sorry. Also, I am going to try to write another story at the same time as this! It's based off of the game called XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and the expansion pack, XCOM: Enemy Within. So give it a shot! Now back to this story. WARNING! This chapter might get a little bit graphic, and there is some deep stuff. If you like it, review and tell me what was so cool about it. If you hate it, review and tell me why so I can change it. If you have nothing better to do, review and tell me about it. I would love to hear from you guys. So enjoy, and take care everybody!**

**Ellie is owned by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us is owned by Naughty Dog, and Connor is owned by me!**

Chapter 12: The Best Intentions

After the attack, Nate was trying to calm down. He was pacing, and taking deep breaths. Jack walked into the room, and knew that he had to be careful of what he said.

"Sir, the hunting party couldn't find them."

"It's no matter. We'll find them tomorrow. Go. I want to be alone." Jack wanted to leave. He knew that he hadn't finished his report, but he didn't want to be around when Nate heard the real news. Jack heard Nate say something,

"Excuse me, sir? I didn't hear you."

"I said, I want to be alone. Why are you still here?"

"Sir, I haven't finished my report." Nate turned and looked at the man.

"Sir, the hunting party found something." Nate didn't know why, but his body felt like it was preparing itself for a blow.

"They found a burned body." Nate felt something die inside of him.

"No."

"It was wearing the remains of a fur coat." Nate felt himself lose all control of his body. He forced himself to stand, and leaned on the desk for support.

"I'm sorry sir." Nate waved his hand away.

"Jack, leave." Jack nodded, and even though he wanted to run, he forced himself to walk out slowly. He didn't want to think about what was going to happen. He just ignored it all. He ignored the sounds as soon as he left the room. He paid no attention to the sound of something breaking against the wall.

**A few hours later**

Nate looked out the shattered window, and stared into the night. He leaned over and looked down. When he had a good look, he stood up, and walked around the remains of his office. The drawers on his desk were broken, there were gashes along the top of it. There was glass all along the floor. When he walked, it crunched beneath his feet. He saw the blood on his knuckles, and felt the tears in his eyes. He had lost both people that were family to him, all because he had tried to protect them. What had he done that was wrong? He had given the city power, he helped these people survive. And to repay him, his family is taken. A certain phrase popped into his mind. _Bad things happen to good people, while good things happen to bad people._

"I've been a good person. I did what was right, and I paid the price." Nate looked at a particulary large piece of glass, and saw his reflection. The reflection of a monster. It showed what lied inside of him. A monster, with pale skin, a tall, thin body, and a smile that belonged only to a vampire. _That's what I truly am. To protect those you love, you have to do bad things._ Nate took a deep breath, and stood up. He walked out of his office, and went to the garage. Most of the soldiers were inside. He cleared his throat to let them know he was about to speak.

"They came back, and took the cure from us. They killed Spencer, and now, they are prepared to attack again. They are going to come back, but not if we attack first. We will take the fight to them, and we will have the cure. We will survive! I promise you all that. We will survive." His soldiers nodded, and began mounting on their respective cars and trucks. As they left the garage, Nathan smiled. This is what needs to be done.

**One hour later**

The one-eyed Clacker walked along the streets, and looked for it's prey. There were two humans in particular. Both had escaped it before, but never again. This time, there would be no escape. Only blood, flesh and screams. It smiled and continued on its way.

A few streets away, Thomas, Shane, and Brandon were walking down the road. They were looking out for those two who had killed Spencer. They kept their eyes out for those two. Brandon pointed at a house, and when Shane and Thomas went to look inside, they heard Brandon say something. They turned around, and saw a girl behind his body. They went to raise their guns, but Thomas was tackled. Shane didn't know what to do, and he went to shoot the man who had tackled Thomas. Something hit him in the head, and everything went black.

When Shane woke up, he was leaned against a wall, and someone was looking at him. Whoever it was, wore a gas mask,

"Hello, there. Look who's awake." The man stood up, and walked away. Shane saw that Thomas was taped to a chair, with a gag in his mouth. He saw the fear in his friend's eyes. The masked man just laughed.

"I don't expect either of you to tell me exactly what I want to know immediately, so I'll just get started. First, remember, there are two of you. So I have a luxury of being able to kill one of you. A luxury, I will be happy to use. Second, I don't have all the time in the world, so a yes or no will do for now. So, let's try it. Do you understand me?" Shane spit at the man.

"No. You want to repeat the rules for me, asshole?" The masked man turned Thomas' chair around.

"Not really." And that's when he brought his blade down, straight into Thomas' shoulder.

Ellie was downstairs when she heard the screams. She immediately got up, and grabbed a gun. She ran up the stairs, and opened the door. She saw Connor, carving one guy's arm. The man was struggling to get away, screaming through the gag. Connor was able to hold him still enough to do what he had to do.

"Connor, what are you doing?" Connor immediately stopped, and turned.

"Ellie, what are you doing? I told you to stay downstairs."

"Connor, what are you doing to that guy?" Connor walked forward, and closed the door behind him.

"Ellie, I want you to go outside. Watch for infected, hunters, or anything. I don't care. Just stay safe. And don't come into the house. No matter what you hear, don't come inside until I come and get you." He turned to leave, but Ellie grabbed his arm.

"Connor! What the hell are you planning?"

"Ellie, you want to get back at Nate? This is how. We need to gather information. Information these two have."  
"Not like that, Connor. That's barbaric."

"Ellie, it has to be done. I'm sorry."

"No it doesn't."

"Ellie, I am trying to protect you. The same as Joel. He lied to you, so he could protect you. He didn't want you to know about what happened at the hospital."

"I'm an adult now. I know that people need to die. I've had to kill people before. I'm not a child." Connor looked Ellie in the eyes, and frowned.

"Ellie, that's exactly what Joel was trying to prevent. When he didn't let you use a gun, when he didn't want you to kill anyone, when he tortured people, he did all of that, so you didn't have to. So you woulnd't have to grow up. So you could keep your innocence, and be a child. So you could enjoy life, and not worry about everything you have done, all the blood on your hands. So you can wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and smile at your reflection." Connor felt his emotions taking control of him, but he didn't stop.

"Ellie, when I joined the military, I was a boy with God in his heart, pride in his country, and a flag over his shoulder. That's who I saw in the mirror. Now, when I look in the mirror, I'm searching for that kid. I haven't seen him since I've become a soldier. Ellie, I want what Joel wanted. He wanted you to be a child, to do stupid things, and get in trouble. He wanted you to enjoy your life, because for the past twenty-four years, not many people have been able to do that. Including myself." Ellie looked at the man who she called her friend, and tried to smile. She couldn't.

"Ellie, please go outside. I don't want you to be here when I do what I'm going to do. Okay?" Ellie nodded, and walked down the stairs. Connor wiped the tears from his eyes. He walked back into the room and closed the door. Ellie was outside when she heard the screams, and decided to go for a walk. She was a few houses away, when she couldn't hear them anymore. It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and there was even a butterfly out. Ellie followed the insect, and when it flew off into a tree, she took a deep breath of the fresh air. She smelled something that didn't fit the scene. She turned around, and saw Nathan's vampire smile inches from her face.

"Hello." Ellie screamed and pulled out her knife. She stabbed him in the neck, and realized that her knife was in the ground. She looked around, and saw Nathan leaning against a doorway.

"How are you doing, Ellie?" She tore the blade out of the ground, and ran at him. When she got to the doorway though, he was gone. She heard him laughing, and saw him walking in the front yard. She pulled out her gun, and he stopped pacing.

"Go on. Pull the trigger, girl. You know you want to. You know I deserve to die. After what I've done." Ellie's brain was trying to get her to pull the trigger, but she couldn't. Nathan saw the failure in her eyes, and laughed.

"You aren't like Joel. Or Connor. Or Spencer. Or Me. You can't do what needs to be done. That's why Joel died. That's why Connor will die. You can't pull your own weight, so Joel died protecting you. Connor will die taking a bullet for you. The path of the immune one is a very lonely one. What was her name? Riley, was it? She died for you too, didn't she?" Ellie fell over, tears leaving her eyes. Nathan was right. Joel had died defending her, and Connor was willing to die so she could escape from the warehouse. Riley died...from a bite. Riley didn't died for Ellie. It was an accident. Ellie had nothing to do with it. And how would Nathan know about Riley, anyway? That's when Ellie realized, Nathan isn't really here. She looked up, and saw Nathan still standing there, chuckling.

"Are you going to kill me now, Ellie? Go for it." He stood with both of his arms up, and Ellie stood up. She grabbed her knife, and walked out into the yard. She walked right through him, and when she turned around, he wasn't there anymore.

Connor was sweating, and looked at the man in the chair. He had passed out. Again. Connor took the broken head of the hammer, and tore it out. The man's kneecap came out with it. He woke up, and started screaming again, but quickly passed out again. The other man, still against the wall, was crying, scared, and untouched.

"So, either of you want to talk?" When neither talked, Connor grabbed the gas can. He poured a little bit on the legs of the man in the chair.

"What the hell man?!" Connor just put the gag in his mouth. He lit a match, and looked at the man on the floor.

"Are you going to say anything?"

"You're bluffing. You don't wanna burn down the house."

"That's why it's his leg." Connor dropped the match on the man's leg, and watched it catch fire.

"Now, tell me what I want to know." The man on the floor didn't know what to do. He didn't want to tell this crazy man about the Castle, but his friend was burning.

"The Castle is mostly civilians. There's only about thirty people who are soldiers. We protect the civilians, who help keep the community going. That's it. Nate runs the place, and he tries his best to protect everyone." Connor nodded, and then picked up the gas canister. He dumped more gas all over the floor, and then pulled out his gun. He shot the man in the chair, and knocked the chair over. He picked up his bags, and started to leave.

"Wait?! What are you doing!? Don't leave me here!" Connor looked at him, and smiled.

"This is for Joel." He then walked out, and closed the door. He went out into the backyard, and took off his jacket and shirt. He threw them on the ground, and dumped what was left of the gas on them. He lit a match and watched as he burned away the evidence of the last hour and a half. As the flames got higher into the sky, Connor felt the toll of what he had done take control over his body. He knelt down, and felt the sobs rock his body.

Ellie was walking back to the house when she saw Connor, without his jacket, and he had changed his shirt. He had somehow cleaned his shoes, and there was smoke rising from the backyard. When Connor saw her, he immediately started walking forward. He had both of their bags in his hands.

"Connor, why do you have our stuff? Are we leaving?"

"Yes, Ellie. We are. Here you go." He handed Ellie her bag, and kept walking. Ellie looked back at the smoke, and realized that the house was on fire.

"Connor, the house is on fire!" Connor stopped, and before she could run forward, he grabbed her.

"Ellie, we aren't coming back. It's a distraction. Nate's people are coming for us, and they will head to the fire. We need to leave." Connor began walking again, but Ellie stayed where she was.

"Connor, what about those two guys? Did you kill them?" Connor stopped, and looked over his shoulder. Ellie saw a shadow fall over his face.

"Connor, what did you do to them?" Connor walked back, and knelt down in front of Ellie.

"Ellie, when we first met, do you remember what I told you?"

"You said that I could trust you, and that you would never lie to me."

"That's right. And I will keep that promise. So don't ask."

"Connor, what did you do to them?"  
"Ellie. Don't ask. Because if you ask, then I will tell you. And if I tell you...Then, you'll never look at me the same way again. So, please...Ellie, I'm begging you. Don't ask." Ellie was scared. Scared of this man, who she called her friend. She looked into his eyes, and saw the monster that had tortured those two men. She saw the scars those actions had created on his soul. She was scared, but then she saw something else. Elizabeth. She saw that he felt he had failed before, and someone he loved died. She saw that he would do anything to protect her, and he would die for her. She saw that even though good people do terrible, horrific things, they can still be good people. Connor stood up, and began walking. Ellie followed him as they walked down the road, in search of a vehicle. Behind them, the house was slowing crumbling, and the actions of the damned burned away, and flew off like smoke and ashes.

The One-Eyed Clacker watched the pair walking down the road, and felt a familiar rage inside. The rage of lose, the rage of hunger. It knew that it couldn't take them both on, it would have to wait in the shadows, patiently. It growled. It hated patience. But, sometimes, things need to be done to survive. So, silently, _patiently, _the creature stalked after them, in the wake of the sunset.

**So, that's that! Connor can do some damage. Ellie is having mental breakdowns. There is some serious stuff happening. I will be elaborating on the One-Eyed Clacker more often now. He is moving up from side character, to main character. If you guys want to hear his backstory, review and tell me! Also, to everyone celebrating it, have a Happy Thanksgiving!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: What Comes Next

**So guys. Shadow is here with an update! So, some people have been asking, 'Hey Shadow, why do you care to mention that one clicker guys so often?' or 'Hey Shadow, who is that one infected guy you have in every single chapter?' or more commonly, 'Hey Shadow, stop bringing up characters that don't matter, like that clicker thing!' So, I decided to show you that he is apart of the story. This chapter is his backstory. Tell me if you like it/him. Enjoy, and take care everyone!**

**Sixteen years ago**

Shaun Crane woke up, and was looking at the sky. It was a nice blue. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the pain in his side was gone now. That's odd. The bite doesn't hurt anymore. The bite! Shaun stood up, and looked at his side. True, there was still a gash in his side, where the Runner had tore out some, but he was still alive. It had stopped bleeding, but he was alive somehow. That's when Shaun felt the urges. The urge to feed. He was starving, and there was something different about him. He felt different. There was something new inside of his body. _Feed._ What was that? Shaun kept walking, and knew that he had to eat something. But the food in his bag didn't seem appetizing. He craved something different. Shaun walked the streets of New York, and the beautiful sky had turned into something that was a nuisance. He kept looking away from it. It was too bright for him. Shaun heard something shuffle in the distance. He stopped walking, and saw a Runner looking at him. He started to run, and tried to outrun it. He looked back, and saw it was still standing there. He slowed, and watched as it saw him, and took a few steps, and then turned the other way. He walked towards it, and when he was close enough, he touched it. The Runner just stumbled on. He saw others on the street, and he walked on, undisturbed. The only incident was when he touched one, and it growled. They don't pay attention to me. He heard someone banging on a door, and naturally, almost instinctively, he tracked it down. On the next street, there was a woman who was trying to get into a building. She turned and saw the four Infected. The other three started to chase her, and Shaun instinctively followed. He ran with the others, and when he turned the street corner, the woman had disappeared. The other three kept running, but something told Shaun to stop. He slowed, and looked around. The other three noticed this, and turned and looked at him. They had finally realized that he wasn't Infected. He turned and ran as fast as he could from them, and that's when he saw the woman again. She was holding a shotgun, and Shaun naturally got lower while he ran. The other three ran past him, and he realized that they were chasing her down. She shot two of the Runners, and then a shell tore through his head. It took off part of his skull, and he was thrown to the ground. He rolled around, screeching in pain, but slowly, the sounds silenced as he lost consciousness.

**The next day**

Shaun opened his eye, and slowly got up. His head still hurt, and he held what was left of his face. How am I not dead? He stumbled around, still in pain, and when he could, he looked around. He saw that the woman was dead, and the other Runner was gone. He walked down the street, and turned a corner. As he walked on, the pain slowly got worse and worse. He tripped many times over the sidewalk, and found himself in front of a store. The place had been looted, but one window was still in one piece. He looked at it, and saw a Runner behind him. He turned around, but no one was there. I'm missing an eye. I can't see clearly. But the more Shaun stared, the more it made sense. And the more it made sense, the more confused he became. They ignored me because I'm not human. I'm an Infected. All the pain and anger that had been building since the moment he woke up was bubbling. The sun was no longer a nuisance, but a pain. It hurt to keep his eye open. It was too bright for him. I'm an Infected. _Yes, you are._ Shaun finally realized what that other thing was. It was the fungus growing in his brain. He figured out why the normal food didn't seem appetizing. Shaun realized he wasn't running from the Infected, he was trying to eat that woman. Everything that was building suddenly exploded. Shaun lifted his head, and screamed as loud as he could. The screech filled the air, and when he was done, he collapsed on the sidewalk. In the distance, he heard something, another screech. Similar to his own. He heard something, and turned around. He saw a group of twenty or so Infected all walking toward him. Shaun prayed they would just devour him, and get it over with. He stood up to meet them, and end it faster. They stopped walking, and some moved out of the way for him. He pushed some of them, trying to entice them to kill him, but they didn't respond. They only moved out of the way. Shaun gave up, and walked away. The group slowly followed him, and Shaun thought about how it came to this. For hours, the undead parade walked the streets of New York City, all following the One-Eyed Infected in front. Shaun wondered why they were doing this. _They follow your word._ Up ahead, Shaun saw a group of people, all walking down the street. They didn't know that up ahead there was a group of Infected. Shaun instinctively ducked down, and looked at his followers. Some of them also ducked, and Shaun finally understood what the Fungus meant. He snarled, and the rest ducked down. Shaun felt his body on autopilot. He looked around, and saw alleyways. He hissed and pointed, then watched as two groups of the infected ran down the separate alleyways. The rest on the ground looked to him. He stood up, and ran at the group. His followers did the same. The group of humans started firing, and some of the Infected around Shaun fell. He saw a human aim at him, and pull the trigger. But he didn't die. A Runner in front of him fell over, and Shaun slowed down. The rest kept running, and he screeched. Those that hid in the alleys came out, and surrounded the group. After that, it didn't last long. Shaun watched from a distance as the Infected feasted on the dead. He felt something that he didn't think he would have felt. Pride and satisfaction. He had succeeded in feeding them. Shaun knew that he shouldn't be feeling it, but he was. And it felt good. The scent of flesh was on the wind, and when he smelled it, he instinctively went to it. Shaun watched himself bend down, and lift up a portion of a body. He tried to stop himself, but his body didn't listen to his mind. _Feed._ He refused to do it, but his body continued with the deed. He bit a chunk off of someone's arm, and chewed it. After he swallowed, he was surprised. It doesn't taste bad. He couldn't remember what it was, but it reminded him of something. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but his mind wasn't allowing him to think about it for long. _Feed._ He bit another piece off, and continued eating. It actually tasted...good. Shaun looked up at the sky, and for the first time, realized that it wasn't as bright out as before. That was okay. He liked it better when there was darkness.

**So, I hoped everyone liked him. I like him, so he will become a larger part of the story line. Also, the weather is an analogy to the battle between good and evil. That's all I'm gonna say, because I want people to figure it out on their own. My idea with Shaun/One-Eyed Clicker is that he is an oddity. Like 1 in every 238,481 infected retains a little bit of their sanity. I describe it as being a passenger in the car that is your life. He doesn't control it, but he might have some influence on it. The fungus is able to retain bits and pieces of intelligence in some infected, making infected that are smarter than others. Because the Corydceps Fungus infects hive insects, I figured it would be like a hive mentality for the infected. So they 'follow' select infected. Shaun is one of those. I hope that everyone is enjoying the story. It makes me happy that people like it. I hope that you guys continue with the story, because I think it will get good, even though I have a bias. So review and tell me, so I know if I am getting crazy. Also, I get inspiration from other things, like games and shows, so obviously, somethings will be similar. Tell me when they get too close to another story. It helps me out guys. Final note, new character is coming soon. Get ready! **


	14. Chapter 14

**Greetings, Readers! How are you guys doing? I hope that everything is working out your way the way my life has been working out! This is the new chapter, and a new character has been introduced. The story is taking an odd twist coming up. I hope you all like it! So, read and review! Thank you for reading, and take care everybody.**

Chapter 14: Newcomers

Shaun had followed the two humans silently for a week, and waited for a moment when he could ambush them. They were walking through the woods, and he knew that at some point, they would settle down. And he would have them. But something didn't feel right. These two were different. Sure, they were prey, and he would enjoy eating them, but it was more than that. They were the only ones who had escaped him. Shaun shook off the feeling. They were just food. Deadly food, so he would need to wait. Shaun could feel the fungus grow tired. Waiting sucked. Connor and Ellie were walking through the woods. Connor noticed that Ellie was being particularly quiet.

"What's wrong, Ellie?"

"Joel lied to me. He said that they couldn't find a cure, but he stopped them from doing it. He decided for me."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Well, he chose a person over everyone else. I understand that he didn't want to lose me, but still, he denied the world a cure."

"You're mad at him."

"I hate him for saving me, and then I feel bad for it, and then I think about it again, and I hate him." Connor looked up, and could see bits and pieces of the sky through the canopy.

"Ellie, look up. What's the weather today?" Ellie saw the sky, and it looked blue and clear. But in the distance, she saw large storm clouds forming.

"Depends."

"On what?"

"On what you look at."  
"So, if you look at the clouds?"  
"It looks bad."

"And if you look at the clear sky?"

"Good."

"That's all you need to know about life." Ellie stopped walking, and looked at Connor funny.

"What?" Connor picked up a stick, and handed it to Ellie.

"The right side is good, and the left side is bad. Break off the left side." Ellie looked at Connor with a confused look, but broke the stick anyway.

"So, you broke the left side off, and yet it is still there. That's all you need to know."

"What are you talking about?"  
"Ellie, life is what you make of it. What you decide to focus on is your choice. There will always be bad in the world, just like there will always be good. You can decide to look at the storm clouds, or you can decide to look at the clear blue sky." Ellie was shocked by this wisdom.

"When did you get all philosophical?" Connor chuckled a bit. He reached into his bag, and pulled out the picture.

"When you asked me, who she was." Ellie looked at the photo, and then at Connor. He handed her the photo, and she looked at it closer. She looked at the girl, and the arm that was around her. On that arm, was a tattoo that read _Semper Fi._

"That's you in the picture." Connor nodded.

"Her name was Elizabeth. She was my girlfriend, and she died. For the longest time, I blamed myself. I loved her, and I felt like I failed her, and she died."

"How?"

"The night she died, we got into a fight. I was volunteering to go on patrol for a friend, and she didn't want to me to be in danger. I was stationed outside the Quarantine Wall, so it was dangerous. It was the third night in a row that I was out. While I was outside, there was a Firefly attack. She died in the explosion. I thought that maybe, if I was there, she would still be alive. I blamed myself, and I still do, despite how ridiculous it is. I logically know I can't stop an explosion, but emotionally, I let her down. I hated myself for it, so I burned myself out of the picture. I wanted to forget what I did, but not her. It hurt too much. I hated that I was sad. I hated being sad." Connor knew that he was about to cry, but he was going to finish this story. He had to, because Ellie wasn't the only person who needed to hear it.

"Ellie, think about this. You have a child. For some terrible reason, you want to make him cry. How would you do it?"

"I'd hurt him."  
"Right. Now let's say that you had a piece of food. You give it to the child, and while he is enjoying it, you just take it away. That will hurt him. It hurts because he had something, and now it's gone. That's what sadness is. You have something so great, that when it's gone, you are hurt so much by it. Sadness is bittersweet. It hurts yeah, but for it to hurt, you had to have something good. That's why I'm able to handle what happened. I know that I miss Elizabeth and it hurts, but I'm happy that I got to enjoy the time I had with her. So take joy in the fact that, even though Joel lied to you, he did it to protect you. He died for you, and he would do it a million times again if it meant you were safe. And be happy, that he wanted to protect you. The time you spent with him, was probably the best time of his life." Ellie was trying to keep the tears in, but it was a losing battle. She just ran forward, and cried into Connor's shoulder. He held her there, and they remained like that for a few minutes, until Ellie stepped back.

"Ellie, I'm gonna scout out ahead. Watch the stuff for me, okay?"

"Okay." Connor went off into the wilderness, and Ellie sat down. She started to think about everything that Joel had done for her, and all the good things they had. She missed him, and decided that, she was going to live. Joel had protected her during their trip across the country, and afterward, all the way until he died. She decided that she was going to earn his sacrifice. She looked around, and saw Connor's photo on a rock. She picked it up, and went to put it into his bag, but realized that he had taken that with him. She also saw the shotgun on the ground, and she picked it up. Ellie went off, trying to find her companion. Connor was quietly walking through the forest, looking for something. Something had been following them, and he was determined to make sure that it didn't continue on. He kept walking, quietly, but then stopped, as though the little red dot on his chest was a solid wall.

"You know what that means don't you?" Connor decided to nod, because didn't know how far this woman was.

"So, you know that if you make any noises to alert anyone, then you die, right?" Connor nodded again.

"Good."

"What do you want?"

"I'll ask the questions here, thank you." Connor knew what he had to do.

"What do you want?"

"I thought you said you understood what the dot meant." Connor decided to gamble on a hunch.

"I can promise you, all I have is this bag. If you want it, I'll give it to you. I'm going to slowly take it off, starting with the right side."

"You sound like you know what you're doing."

"I'm a member of the United States Marine Corps, so I would like to think so."

"Wow. I'm really lucky today. I get to kill a member of the fascist government." Connor smiled to himself, and knew he had been right.

"So, you're a Firefly?"

"Yeah, I am." Connor took a deep breath.

"That makes this so much easier." He stood up, and looked to his left. He heard the rifle cock come that direction. _This is so easy._

"Hey, sit back down."

"No, I'm not going to. Because you aren't going to shoot me." He heard the woman laugh.

"What makes you think I won't shoot you?"

"One, because it would alert the nearby infected to our location. But second, and more importantly, my friend will shoot you, and she won't miss."

"You're bluffing."

"Ellie, cock your gun so she knows I'm not bluffing." The woman heard the shotgun cocking mechanism about five feet behind her. She slowly turned around, and saw a teenage girl pointing it straight at her. Connor picked up his bag, walked over to them, and took the high-powered rifle from the Firefly. He pulled out handcuffs from his bag, and placed them on the Firefly's wrists. He led her to the clearing that he and Ellie were at before, and began to set up camp while Ellie watched the woman.

"What are you going to do to me?" Ellie looked at Connor, because she wondered too. Connor looked the woman dead in the eyes.

"I'm going to ask you some questions. First, what's your name?"

"Chelsea."

"Just Chelsea?"

"Yeah. Why? Is that a problem for you?" Connor kept his cool, even though he knew she was going to be as annoying as possible.

"No. Not really. Why were you following us?"

"I needed supplies. Everyone has got to try to survive. Even though the government is trying to kill us all."

"Yeah, because we hate all humans. Final question. Where have you operated?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I would. That's why I asked. Are you going to tell me, or not?"

"No. I'm not." Connor nodded, and lifted her up.

"Okay. Just wanted to make sure."  
"What are you doing?" Connor set her down on her stomach. Chelsea started kicking, and tried to fight back. Connor just put more pressure on her.

"Stop. You're only making this harder. Stop. I'm serious." Chelsea felt the handcuffs break, and she pushed herself sideways. Connor lost his balance, and Chelsea picked up his knife. She held it to his throat. Ellie went to get her gun.

"You touch it, he dies."

"Ellie, don't. I can handle this."

"No, you can't. How many people have you killed, soldier? How many women have you handcuffed? Was she one of them?" She slowly put more pressure on the blade. A smile slowly crept up on Connor's face. Chelsea heard a click, and felt the handgun pressed against her stomach.

"I'm ready to die. The question is, are you?"

"Let's see." She started to drag the blade against his throat, and Ellie went for the gun.

"Stop! I'll do it!" Connor used the distraction, and spun. Chelsea fell off, and Connor grabbed his knife. He tossed the handgun aside, and held Chelsea's arms down.

"Now, we are back right where we started. Except the handcuffs are off. All that energy for nothing." Chelsea was about to make a comment, when she realized, there was no metal on either of her wrists. Connor held up the open handcuffs, and then stood up. He grabbed his handgun, and the rifle, and set them down. Chelsea slowly got up, and looked at him. He was rummaging through his bag.

"You can stay with us for a few days, if you want to. If you want to leave now, let me give you some supplies." He handed her some food, a few bottles of water, and a handgun.

"Why are you giving me this stuff?"

"Because people have to survive. I'm a nice guy. I was planning on letting you go. I just wanted to know some stuff."

**Later that night**

Chelsea woke up, and looked around. Connor was on watch but he wasn't paying attention to her. He was looking into the distance. Chelsea quietly got up, and took the handgun Connor had given her. _What a fool._ She silently snuck up on Connor, and pointed the gun at his head.

"If you're going to shoot me, just get it over with." Chelsea took his gun from him, and sat down ten feet away from him. Connor still had that smile on his face.  
"Why are you okay with someone killing you? Do you have a death wish?"

"No. I've accepted that before this is over, I am going to die. When you wake up in the morning, expecting to die, it makes it a lot easier to get out of bed."

"How?"

"Because if you hope you don't die, you're always worried about it. If you expected it, then you aren't worried about when it will happen. So you can enjoy life." Chelsea looked at him with doubt in her eyes.

"Then why not just kill yourself?" Connor pointed at Ellie, who was still asleep.

"Who is she? Your sister?"

"Some stranger I met about two weeks ago."

"Why do you care for her?"

"Because her adopted father was just killed by a bad person, and I am going to make sure that person doesn't do it again. He was a friend." Connor looked at his watch, and then stood up. Chelsea pointed her gun at him, and he just smiled.

"Do you know how to use a gun?"  
"Of course I do. Why?"

"Because you keep pointing them at me, and threatening to kill me, yet you never do." He walked to his sleeping bag.

"Seeing as how you're up, you keep watch. Good luck." Pretty soon, he was asleep. Chelsea watched him for a few seconds, and then looked back into the forest. _Why was he so trusting? I could have killed him on multiple occasions, why is he so trusting? He knows I will kill him, and he keeps giving me opportunities. Why aren't I taking them?_ Chelsea kept thinking about these questions, and she looked back at the sleeping marine. _There is something else to this man._ She watched the sky slowly change colors, and right before she fell asleep, she heard someone whispering. She saw Connor, shaking in his sleep, saying something.

"No. Please. No. Elizabeth, no, please. Don't. Elizabeth!" Connor's eyes jumped open, and his gun was out in front of him. He was wildly looking back and forth, struggling to survive. Then he realized where he was, and leaned against a tree. He was trying to remain calm, and he was taking deep breathes. His eyes were wide, and his heart was pounding against his chest. Chelsea saw his right hand wouldn't stop twitching. Ellie woke up, and saw him. She crawled over to him, and looked into his eyes.

"Connor. Look at me. Everything is okay. No one is going to hurt you, or me, or Elizabeth. Everything will be okay. Don't worry. Do you understand me?" Connor's breathing slowly returned to normal, and his hand stopped shaking. He returned back to reality, and closed his eyes. When they opened, Chelsea saw the calm, collected marine that she had almost killed twelve hours ago. _Would have been a shame._ Chelsea shook off that thought.

"Sorry. For waking you. Sorry." Ellie gave him a hug.

"It's okay. You had a nightmare. You can't help that." Connor was nodding, and he looked at his watch.

"Seeing as how we're all awake, might as well get moving."

**So how did you like it? Another character is coming soon. This one, might be a bigger character than anyone else in the story so far. I'll give you one hint: the fictional character he is based off of was named after a general who took on the Roman Empire, with a specific animal from Africa. First person to tell me who it is, gets a plot request. PM me for your guess/answers! And review.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello everyone! I hope you guys like it, but tell me by reviewing! I can't read minds, so I don't know if you guys like this. This chapter takes place a few months after the last chapter, in an area that was called Cape Cod before the apocalypse. This is a new character, who I hope you guys like him! Review and tell me! Enjoy, and take care everybody!**

**Naughty Dog owns the infected, Ellie, and Joel! I own everything else.**

Chapter 15: The Sound of Violins

Leonardo Callow woke up, at exactly 6:29, a minute before his alarm went off. As always. He stood up, turned off the alarm before it sounded, and walked into his bathroom. He looked into the mirror and saw that his beard had grown a little. He opened the cabinet and took out his razor. After a quick shave, he left the bathroom and headed to the kitchen. He open his refrigerator, and pulled out the sandwich from the night before. He quickly ate it, and then headed back to his room. He opened the closet, and pulled out the suit he intended on wearing for the day. A white button up shirt, with the blue and black tie, his father's pocket watch, the striped vest, and the black jacket that went over the whole thing. _Father always said one had to be presentable._ After checking in the mirror, Leonardo nodded, and went down stairs. He walked downstairs, and then remembered. _How could I forget?_ He walked back into his room, and took out the keys. He opened the crate next to his bed, and watched as the pitbull inside bounded forward, and jumped on him. It licked him, and after a few moments, it just laid down on top of him. Leonardo couldn't stop laughing, and would have felt content if he could just lay down with his dog.

"Chester, up boy. Come on, get up." The dog got up, and looked his master in the eye.

"Do you want your breakfast too?" Leonardo would not have been surprised if the dog nodded, but he walked out of the room and down the hallway into the kitchen, Chester faithfully walking by his side. Leonardo reached into a cupboard and pulled out some canned dog food. He put it into the bowl on the ground, and then walked downstairs. He went through the keys, and when he found the right one, he put it into the doorknob. He felt a nudge on his leg, and looked down. Chester was next to him, waiting.

"No, buddy. I've told you before. You can't come down here. Go up, and eat." Chester looked at his master, and sat down. Leonardo knew how loyal the dog was, and how it killed Chester to not be around him. It hurt him to not have the dog around as well, but it was for the best. Leonardo opened the door, and blocked the way so Chester couldn't get inside. He slowly closed the door, and walked down the stairs. He turned on the lights, and looked around. The lab was still clean, and the bodies hadn't moved from the night before. _Dead bodies can't move._ Still, it startled him a little bit. Leonardo took off the jacket, and set it down on his chair. He rolled up his sleeves, and looked around. He opened his computer, and logged in. After opening the necessary applications, he pressed the record button. He smiled for the camera, and then began.

"Hello. It's me again. I'm going to finish the autopsy from yesterday, and I think I'm closer to finding what I need. Of course, it's hard with the infected, because the fungus has already won. But if I could get my hands on a living subject, it would help me out greatly. But, it doesn't matter. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing." He opened another application on his computer, and pressed the play button. Beethoven's 'Ode To Joy' played throughout the lab. The infected who were caged woke up, and continued to tear their way out, but like every other day, they didn't get out. Leonardo bent over, and unlocked a cabinet. He pulled out a large case, and after using the proper keys, took off the lid. He picked up the violin that was inside, and began playing. The infected around him continued to slam against their cages, desperately trying to be free. After a few minutes of playing, Leo replaced the violin and closed it up. He replaced it back into the cabinet and then pulled out another case. He opened it, and pulled out the multiple knives inside. He pulled out a cloth, and placed it on the counter. He gently placed each knife down, neatly and in an organized row. After they were out, he closed the case, and put it away. Inside the same cabinet was a wooden box, and he set it down next to the knives. He walked toward the computer, and pulled up another application. He typed in a command, and one of the cages opened. He typed another command, and the see-through plexiglass became one way. The infected stumbled out of it's cage, and looked around. It knew there was a human around, but it couldn't hear him. Schubert's 'Die Forelle' was now playing, and Leonardo was singing along as he opened another cabinet, and took out a small metal case. He opened it, and saw his father's revolver inside. On the side of the case were six bullets.

"In einem Bächlein helle da schoß in froher Eil." He picked up a single bullet.

"Die launische Forelle vorüber wie ein Pfeil." He placed it inside the gun.

"Ich stand an dem Gestade und sah in süßer Ruh." He typed another command into the computer. The glass door opened, and the infected saw him. It charged at him.

"Des muntern Fischleins Bade im klaren Bächlein zu." Leo calmly aimed, and pulled the trigger. The bullet went straight into the forehead of the infected. It's body kept going forward, and it fell forward and slide a little bit. When it stopped, Leo set the gun back into the case. He turned around and went into the cabinet behind his computer. He pulled out a box, and opened the new container. There were bullets inside, and he took out a single one. He placed the box back inside the cabinet, and then put the bullet inside the case with the gun. He closed the case, and then out it away. Leo looked at the body, and sighed. He picked up the body, and carried it to a table. He put on his gloves, and picked up his knife, pressing it against the body's chest. Leo pressed the knife against the body, and then stopped. He set the knife down, and began to take the infected's shirt off. He went through it's pockets, and found wallet that was inside. He found a picture of a family, and a tear left Leo's eye. He bent over, closed the body's eyes, and kissed it's forehead.

"I'm sorry." Leo set the picture inside of the wooden box, and closed it. He moved it to the other side of the table, and then focused on his work.

**Several hours later**

Leo opened the door, and saw Chester get up and sit right next to the door. He quickly came out, and closed it before the pitbull could go downstairs. He locked the door, and sat down to play with his dog. The wooden box he was holding was pushed away as Leo wrestled with his only friend. After a few minutes, Leo stood up, grabbed the box, and walked upstairs, with Chester faithfully following him up. When he got to the kitchen, he saw that Chester still hadn't eaten yet. He looked at the pitbull, and scratched it's head.

"Were you waiting downstairs again? Go ahead, eat." Chester nudged Leo out of the way to his food bowl. As the dog ate, Leonardo sat down and looked through the box. He looked at all the pictures of families, children, wives, husbands, grandkids, and friends. _All these people are dead._ Leonardo felt them coming, and let it happen. He cried, and felt the sobs rock his body. Chester heard his master hurting, and rushed to his side. The pitbull rested his head on Leo's leg, and whined. Leo kept petting his dog, and tried to comfort the animal, but he couldn't. After he was done crying, Leo stood up to look at his list of what to do. He read it and saw that he needed to get more medicine from town. Leonardo walked into his room, and pulled out the vest made for his knives. He put it on, and then took out his father's surgery knives, and put each of them in their sheaths. He buttoned his jacket and looked at Chester who was in the room.

"Chester, I need you to go into your crate. I'm going out now." Chester laid down, and looked up at his master. Leonardo bent over, and picked up the pitbull. He put the dog inside the crate, and then closed it. He walked through the hallway, down the stairs, and out of his front door, into the fresh afternoon air.

**So guys, how do you like Leo? Tell me what you think by reviewing! Connor, Chelsea, and Ellie will be back next chapter! I've decided to take the story on a different course for a while. It's gonna be good. I hope you guys like it!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello, everybody! I hope everyone liked the last chapter. Also, I'm so sorry for not updating on Saturday like I was supposed to. Basically, I had family out, and we all had Christmas a week early. So now I'm back. And as an apology, I uploaded this chapter on Christmas Eve, and when all of you wake up on Christmas morning tomorrow, the next chapter will be under the tree, wrapped just for you. From Santa...And Shadow. Merry Christmas, one and all!**

**Author's Update:**

**So, I want to point out that I have so much to do, so I apologize. A man's only as good as his word, and I haven't been updating regularly. I wanted to let all of you know that I am not going to be updating until after the New Year! Until then, take care everyone!**

**Naughty Dog owns The Last of Us**

Chapter 16: On The Road

Ellie sat in the car, reading a book, while Chelsea watched the perimeter, and Connor was checking out the town. A few months had gone by since Chelsea joined them, and winter was on its way. They were up in an area that people used to call Cape Cod. Connor had gone ahead and was looking for supplies. He was very careful, but Ellie noticed the way that Chelsea occasionally glanced at the direction Connor went.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Chelsea looked at the teenager, and smiled.

"Just a little."

"Chelsea, this is a man who was wounded, and somehow came out of an ambush, then broke me out of Nate's city. He'll be fine. He always is." Chelsea smiled, and nodded.

"Yeah. You're right." Ellie smiled, and looked at the woman.

"If you like him, just say something. Stop waiting. Just get it over with you two." At that moment, Chelsea was taking a drink from her water bottle. She coughed, and looked at Ellie with bewilderment.

"Chelsea, I'm not stupid. I see the way you look at him. You like him. So do something."

"I do not. I just...care because he's a friend."

"The way you look at him suggests that you want to do a lot more than 'care' for him."

"What are you implying?"

"Nothing. Nevermind. I'll just go back to reading." She went back to her book. But she couldn't not say anything.

"He feels the same way about you." Chelsea looked back at Ellie with surprise on her face.

"What do you mean?" This blew Ellie's mind.

"Have you not seen how he looks at you? How he says your name?" Chelsea shook her head.

"Oh, my god! How could you miss all of that? It's so obvious! He likes you so much. Do something about it. Because both of you are stressing me out. I keep waiting for him to say something, but then you have to leave, or vice versa, and it's stressful. Just do something." Ellie took a deep breath, and then sat back down. Chelsea was wide-eyed in response to this revelation.  
"How long have you been holding that in?"

"A few weeks now." Chelsea nodded.

"I'll do something when he gets back."

"Thank god. Finally." Ellie started reading again, and Chelsea went back to watching the perimeter.

"Does he really like me?"

"More than anything else in the world." Chelsea blushed a little bit, then turned around.

"Ellie, grab your gun." Ellie looked up, and saw someone coming down the road. The man was dressed in a suit and tie. It was suspiciously clean, and they looked new. Ellie and Chelsea aimed their guns at him.

"Stop right there." The man stopped, and raised his hands in the air. He smiled, and looked at the two girls.

"I mean no trouble." Chelsea moved closer, and stopped about ten feet away from the man.

"Open the jacket, slowly." The man opened the jacket, and Ellie saw an assortment of knives in his coat. Chelsea immediately backed up a few steps. The man stopped smiling, and there was a bit of fear in his eyes.

"Please! Don't shoot me!"

"Put the knives on the ground!" The man nodded his head as fast as possible.

"Okay! I will! I'm doing it!" He took each blade out, and carefully, almost reverently on the floor. Ellie watched him place seven different knives on the ground. When he was done, he backed away a few feet.

"Ellie, keep an eye on him." Chelsea walked forward and picked up each knife and placed it into a duffel bag. The man in the suit watched her, and he was cringing.

"Please, be careful with them. They are very fragile." Chelsea looked up at the man, confused over his care for the knives.

"Why do you care so much?" Chelsea stood up and took the duffel bag back to their car. The man tried to follow, but Ellie's gun reminded him to stay where he was. When Chelsea put the knives into the car, she turned and walked back to the man.

"Who are you?"

"Are you going to kill me?"

"I don't know yet. Answer the question."

"My name is Leonardo."

"Where are you from, Leonardo?"

"Down the road. When can I get my stuff back?"

"Why do you care so much about your stuff?" Leonardo shifted a bit, and then looked at Chelsea.

"A man needs protection out here."

"Yes he does. So, how many people are in your group?" When he heard this, Leonardo looked confused.

"My group? What group? I'm not in a group." Ellie shook her head. _This guy is a terrible liar._ Chelsea chuckled.

"Sure. So how many are in your group?"

"I just told you. I'm alone. I've been alone for fifteen years now." At that moment, Ellie heard an engine getting louder and louder. She turned and saw Connor coming back. Chelsea turned and saw Connor coming. When he saw the man in the suit, Connor began asking his questions. Ellie filled him in, and when he was done, Connor walked over to Leonardo. He aimed his gun at the man.

"Put your hands on your head. Now." Leonardo's eyes suddenly filled with fear.

"Please! Don't shoot me!" Connor knocked him over, and pulled out the handcuffs he carried with him. He handcuffed the man, and dragged him to the car. Ellie looked through Connor's bag from the motorcycle, and Chelsea watched as Connor talked to Leonardo.

"So, I'm gonna call you Leo, because I can. What are you doing here, Leo?"

"I was just looking for some stuff."

"What stuff?"

"Just stuff." Connor nodded, and then started loading his gun.

"It's just stuff! Okay?!"

"Sure it is." Connor checked his gun, and placed it to the side of the man's head. Leo pulled away, and Connor grabbed him, and slammed him against the car.

"Listen, I'm going to ask you one more time, and if you don't tell me, I will get worse." Leo considered his options, and then sighed.

"It's some medication. From the local pharmacy. It's the last of the medicine in the area. I was going to get it." Connor stood and grabbed the bag from Ellie.

"This stuff?" He opened it, and Leo saw inside were some prescription bottles. His eyes immediately widened.

"Why do you need this stuff?"

"I just do, okay?"

"Sure you do." Connor walked back to Chelsea and started talking. Leonardo looked around, and slowly moved the handcuffs under his legs, and in front of his body. He saw his bag of knives, and grabbed them. He stood up, and started running down the road. Connor turned around, and saw him go.

"Damnit! Ellie, Chelsea! Pack up the stuff! Get it into the car! Then follow me!" Connor ran to his motorcycle, and started it. He saw Leonardo run down a different path than the main road, and rode after him. He turned, and saw Leonardo running. _Damn, this guy is fast._ Ellie and Chelsea were starting their car, and began following Connor. Leonardo kept looking back, and saw Connor getting closer. He ran down the driveway up to a large mansion, and took the stairs three at a time. Connor got off of his bike, and ran up the stairs. He opened the front door, and saw a large foyer. _Where is he?_ Connor unslung his rifle, and slowly walked up the steps. When he got to the top, he saw the empty bag, and the handcuffs lying on the ground. Ellie and Chelsea had just driven up to the house, and they walked inside. When they got inside, they saw Connor upstairs looking around. Then Leo came out from a closet, and knocked him down. They scuffled, but Leo grabbed Connor and put him into a headlock, a knife at his throat.

"Put down your guns, and leave! He won't get hurt if all of you leave me alone!" Ellie looked at Chelsea, who was debating on shooting the man, but Ellie couldn't take the chance.  
"Chelsea, don't. Please." Chelsea looked at her, and then at the two, and sighed. She lowered her gun, and they both backed up. Connor used the moment to grab the knife, and elbow Leo in the gut. He grabbed Leo's arm, and threw him over his shoulder. Leo tumbled down the stairs hard, and Connor fell against the wall. He was out of breath, and was trying to keep calm.  
"Connor!" He heard Ellie's scream from what sounded like a mile away, but he forced himself to move toward it. Connor stood up, and looked over the railing. Leo had moved himself against the wall, and he was gripping his thigh. His knife was sticking straight up out of it, and the man was looking very pale.

"So that's...what...it feels...like." Connor ran down the stairs, and grabbed the man. Leo grabbed his arm, but it wasn't to fight. He was trying to keep himself awake. Connor looked him in the eyes, and sighed.

"Sorry." He grabbed the knife, and torn it out of Leo's leg. Leonardo had never felt a pain like this before. His mind couldn't handle it, so he did the only logical thing to do. Leonardo just passed out.

**So I hope that all of you like this chapter, and I hope that you review it. I could use the feedback. It will help me help you. It's the Christmas season so why not be giving and give me some reviews? It would be appreciated. The chapter will be up tomorrow, on Christmas morning as a gift. It makes me feel really good that people like my stories so much that they return each week to read the next chapter! Have a I hope everyone has the greatest holiday season ever, and I hope you enjoy reading!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello, readers! This is the first part of a two part update. This was originally the first half of a chapter. But it was so long I made it into to two chapters! Have no fear, I will still update the second half today! So read and review! Enjoy, and take care everybody.**

**Naughty Dog owns the Last of Us**

Chapter 17: Worthiness

Fifteen years ago

Leo woke up, and looked at the clock next to his bed. It was 11:32. He got up, and walked to the window. He saw that there was snow outside, and he knew that he would have to shovel it. Leo walked to the kitchen, and looked in the refrigerator. There wasn't much inside. He would have to go and get more food from town. Leo walked to his parents bedroom, and saw the door was still closed. That's odd. "Mother? Father? Are you awake?" When there was no response, Leo just shrugged and went back to the kitchen. He made a sandwich, but it wasn't much, and then he sat down and ate. Normally, his parents wouldn't let him read at the table, but there wasn't an important family discussion, so he saw no reason not to. He walked to the family library with the sandwich, and looked through the books. After searching and searching for a good read, and a long while after his sandwich was gone, Leo decided that he was going to just read. He had always loved reading, but he never looked through the family library. When he got to the door, it was open and unlocked. Leo thought this was odd, but didn't think anything of it. He sat down in a corner, and just started reading. There were so many medical texts that his father had collected over the years, being the renowned surgeon that he was. But he wasn't working anymore. When you're the only people in the world, there isn't much need for a surgeon. Leo kept reading, and started learning more about what his father did. He began reading more and more, and soon, medicine turned to biology. Leo always had a knack for biology. True, he had never been taught it officially because the world ended when he was eight. But he had been very interested in the infected. He began reading about the biology of pathogens, viruses, and eventually, he found himself a large book about fungus. Leo started pulling books from the shelves, reading about the fungus that had ended the world, and books about the insects that were affected. He read the symptoms and kept going through as many different books as he could. Leo decided that he would learn about the disease that would eventually claim his life, and the lives of everyone on the planet. After some time, Leo closed the book he was reading, and checked his watch. It was 8:03 P.M. He had spent the day reading. He looked at the book he was reading, which was about hive insects, and folded the page. He knew his parents wouldn't approve of it, but they rarely came inside the library. And they never read anything. The library was the negotiating room for his family for generations. His parents never shouted like other parents, they just looked at each other, and left to go to the library. Like it was a secret business meeting, because God forbid anyone in the family showed emotion. He got up, and set down the book down next to the large pile that had grown in the nine hours he was in the library. He walked back to the living room, and he saw it was empty. Leo went back to his parents room, and it was still closed. "Mother? Father? Did you get up?" No one answered, and Leo slowly opened the door. He saw them both on the bed, pale white, next to each other. Leo's mind knew they were dead, but the emotional child inside of him ran forward and shook his father, trying to wake him up. "Father! Father! Wake up!" He shook his mother next, but it was futile. They had died in their sleep, as they had lived. Next to each other, but never together. They were as cold as always, but now, they wouldn't wake up. Leo just sat on the edge of the bed, and cried. Leo had never felt comfortable showing his emotions in front of his family, because people didn't do that. They kept everything bottled in, and walled off behind a dam. For Leo, he couldn't do it anymore. The dam broke, and all the tears that he had been holding in for his entire life came flowing. He knew that it was only an organ that pumped blood, but Leo felt the pain of his heart breaking. Leo cried on his parents bed for the entire night. Three years later Leo looked at his parents graves, and felt the tears fall down his face. He hated talking to them, because he knew they couldn't hear him, but it also hurt to do it. Leo thought about what they would say if they saw him. They would be disappointed with him for showing emotion. Well, he wasn't the only one in the family guilty of showing emotion. He thought back to when he first saw an infected. Two years after the end of the world, Leo met his first infected. He was playing in the backyard, against his parents' wishes, of course. One of them came out of the woods behind his house. It had a coral like formation on its head, and it was stumbling around. Leo decided to do what every ten year boy does when faced with potential danger; he picked up a stick and went and poked the creature. It snarled, and grabbed for Leo, but the boy moved back just in time. "Leo! Get away from it!" Leo turned and saw his mother and father run into the backyard. His mother grabbed him, and his father took something out, and there was a loud bang. The creature fell to the ground, a single hole in it's head. Leo covered his ears, because the noise was loud and it hurt. He saw his father holding what looked to be a gun, and it was smoking. "Mary. Take him inside." His mother picked up her only child, and walked back to the house. The last thing Leo saw was his father approach the body, and then the door to the garage closed. Later that night, when his parents thought he was asleep, he heard them arguing. As always, their voices were kept down, but he still heard them. "Fritz, he almost died today. We have to watch him more." "Mary, he didn't die though. He's okay, and we can protect him." "I just hope he isn't too scared." "He's sleeping by himself, so he isn't that scared. Mary, maybe we shouldn't talk here." Leo heard his parents depart to the library. A few hours past, and Leo almost feel asleep, but he heard someone come into his room. Someone sat down on his bed, and touched his head. He recognized his father's hand, and pretended to be asleep. "I'm sorry, son." Then his father got up, and walked out of the room. Leo wondered what his father was sorry for, but quickly fell asleep..

Leo looked at his parents' graves, and didn't want to talk to them that day. He was too mad, and so he opened the side gate, and left without a word. Leo walked into town, and went inside the grocery store. There were some things still there, and he grabbed a box of cookies. He didn't feel like actually grabbing anything, so he went to the front door to leave. Outside the store, were about ten or so infected, all trying to get inside of a small warehouse. Leo ducked down, and didn't know what to do. He only had a small knife, taken from his father's surgery room in the basement of his house. That's when he heard it. A high pitched barking. There was a dog inside of the warehouse, a puppy by th sound of it. Leo walked out front, quickly and quietly. The infected were too distracted by the puppy to notice him run away.

**I hope you all like this part, and now I ask you to review, and continue to the next one!**


	18. Chapter 18

**This is the second part people, I hope you all enjoy it. WARNING: It might get a little heavy for some people. I hope that you guys read and review. Also, if you feel uncomfortable with certain things, tell me by reviewing, or you can PM me. I want to know what you guys think of my story. Enjoy, and take care everybody!**

**Naughty Dog owns the Last of Us**

Chapter 18: Realization When he got back home, Leo set his groceries down on the counter, and looked into the backyard. The sun was setting, and it would get dark soon. And Leo had learned that the dark brought danger, but this had to be said. He went outside, and knelt before his parents again. "Why didn't you guys love each other? Like everyone else's parents? Why did you guys think that marriage was a contract, you two had to be together for some stupid reason other than love? What's wrong with emotions? What's wrong with them? You could never argue in front of anyone, you always had to make it look like everything was perfect and nothing was wrong with the Callow family. I know that you guys didn't love each other, but could you at least have loved me? Made me feel like I was worth something? I wasn't just an heir, but I was a son? Because in case you didn't notice, there's no need for an heir in this world. There's nothing to inherit, no family name to continue. I don't matter in this world. I could die, and nothing would change. No one cares because no one is alive anymore to care! I might as well die! The only damned thing that is still alive around here is that stupid dog!" Leo stood up, and walked inside his house. He went into the basement, and grabbed his father's box. He opened it and inside was the revolver. His father always said that a gun only brought pain and bad things. Leo had grown to agree with him. He loaded it, and went back outside. He knelt before his parents, and looked at them both. "I'm not going to wait for an infected to eat me. I should've died that day, when I first saw one. You shouldn't have saved me. I'm worthless. There is no need for an heir in this world." Leo aimed the gun at his head, and looked at his parents one last time. "I love you guys, and it sucks that I feel sorry for that." And that's when it hit Leo. His father saved him, because he felt that his heir, no, his son, was worth it. And then it all came to Leo. His parents never argued in front of him, not because they wanted it to seem perfect, but because they wanted to keep him from seeing them fight. They wanted to be perfect for their son, and that's why they went to the library. They didn't want to hurt him with their arguing. His father saved his life, because he loved his son. His mother and father loved him, and they felt like he was worth something. Leo started to cry, and he dropped the gun. His entire life, he felt that his parents didn't want a son, they just wanted someone to continue the family. But they loved him. By trying to make everything seem like it was perfect, they showed him they weren't perfect. Leo's entire life was being unravelled. He realized that almost everything he thought of his parents was wrong. The day that he almost died was the first day he saw his parents emotional. But it wasn't the first time that they had acted like humans, instead of the robots he felt had raised him. Leo realized that his father believed that his son had meaning. That's why the library was unlocked that day. He wanted his son to continue the family business, that much was true, but it wasn't for money or prestige. Maybe it was Leo's sense of self-importance, but he felt that his father had wanted him to save the human race. Leo stood up, and made his decision. He wouldn't be a waste, he would do something to help humanity. He walked inside to go to the basement, but realized he left the gun outside. He ran back and picked up the 'tool of evil' as his father had called it, and realized, it could be a tool of good. Leo walked outside of his house, and went back into town. He realized that the knife, and gun he had, might not have been enough, but it had to be. He saw the infected still outside the warehouse, and aimed. He pulled the trigger, but it was jammed. He kept trying to work it, but it wouldn't work. He checked it, and realized what had happened. He took the safety off, and then aimed. He pulled the trigger, and the bullet hit the wall, a few inches away from one of the infected. They turned and saw him, and started running. Leo stood there, and fired again. Again, a miss. One infected was faster than the others, and Leo's brain told him to run, and keep firing. His entire life, he had listened to his brain, and look where it got him. Leo listened to his instincts instead, and waited. The runner was getting closer, but Leo waited. When it was about ten feet away, Leo pulled the trigger, and felt the body slide against his legs. He waited again, and when the next infected was close, he fired, killing the infected. Another bullet found it's mark, and then another. Realizing he was out, he slowly walked backwards, while trying to reload. He reloaded a single bullet at a time, and saw he still had six more infected to go. When the gun was loaded, he stopped walking. He unloaded the gun, and found himself alone in the street. He walked to the warehouse, and after breaking the locked with a crowbar he found nearby, he opened the door. It was dark inside, and Leo admitted to himself that he was scared to go inside. But he walked forward, slowly. His foot hit something, and he saw a flashlight on the ground. He flicked the switch, and it turned on. It was dim, but it was better than nothing. He kept walking through the warehouse. "Hello? Is anyone here? I'm here to help." He didn't know where to look for the puppy, but he refused to leave until he found the animal. But Leo stayed in the warehouse all night long, and soon, the flashlight was needed. The sun crept through the windows, and Leo kept searching. He couldn't find the little animal anywhere. Leo knew that it had probably been eaten, and felt the pain in his chest. "Why didn't I do something sooner? Why did I leave?" Leo had searched the entire warehouse three times, and knew that the animal wasn't there. In shame and failure, he slowly walked out of the warehouse, and headed home. He past a black van, which had a door open, and he saw a something move inside. He checked the revolver, saw it was still loaded, and walked inside. In the back, tucked under the seats, was a little pitbull puppy. It had grey fur, and it was small enough to fit under the chair. It watched Leo with fear in its eyes. "Hey, it's okay. I won't hurt you. Come on out." Leo reached his hand out, and the puppy started growling. Leo didn't know what to do, but refused to leave, so he kept reaching forward. The pitbull barked at him, with a high pitched bark, that it thought was scary enough, but Leo thought it was kind of cute. The puppy kept shrinking back, but there wasn't enough space. Leo almost touched it, and it bit him. Its' teeth weren't sharp enough to break his skin, but it hurt. Leo jerked his hand back, but refused to leave the creature to fend for itself. Leo reached back, and despite being bit, scooped the little puppy up, and held it. It kept biting his hand, but he refused to let it go. He held the little puppy in front of his face, and looked the creature in the eyes. It couldn't bite him anymore, but it still wanted to fight. It barked, and Leo just smiled. "Hey little buddy. You just want to fight, don't you? Well, you don't have to anymore. I've got you." The puppy started squirming, and Leo set it down. It started to walk away, and Leo picked it up again. But it didn't want to be in his hands, and it kept squirming. Leo thought, and realized that the puppy didn't want him. He set the puppy down, but kept it still. "If you don't want to be around me, that's fine with me. But be careful little guy. Take care of yourself." He let go, and the puppy slowly walked away. Leo watched it, go back into the warehouse, and then went home. At least he had saved it. The puppy was little enough it could escape most problems. Leo walked up the hill to his home, but realized he was tired. He sat down, and laid on the sidewalk. He looked up at the sun and trees in the sky. He even saw a cardinal fly by. It was a great day outside. Leo laid there for a few minutes, and closed his eyes. Soon after, he felt something bump his head. Hard. He turned and saw the puppy was laying down next to him. It saw him turn his head, and then it got up and rammed it's head against his again, trying to get him up. Leo sat up, and the little puppy crawled into his lap. He pet the pitbull, and picked it up. This time, it didn't squirm. "Alright, you can stay with me. But there are rules. No tearing up furniture. I can't replace it, okay? No bringing dirt inside of the house okay? Basically, don't ruin the house. Okay?" The puppy leaned forward and licked Leo's face. Leo moved back, and nodded. He set the puppy down, and wiped his face off. "Alrighty then. Glad to see we are on the same page." He walked up the hill, and the little puppy followed him. But it soon became distracted with the cardinal in a nearby tree. It barked and tried to climb the tree, but it couldn't do it. Leo walked over to the tree, and smiled. "You like it? It's a chestnut tree." Leo got an idea at that moment. "Hey, I'll call you Chestnut." Unbeknownst to him, the puppy really wanted to catch the cardinal. Because it was so far out of reach, it looked at Leo and whined. Leo took this as a no. "How about Chester?" The puppy barked at the bird, but Leo thought that was a yes. "Okay. Let's go home Chester." He picked Chester up, and walked home. **I hope that everybody liked it. So read and review to tell me guys! I want to know what you think of it! I will update next Saturday. Also, I hope everybody is having a great New Year so far!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys! It's Shadow! I'm back, bitches! I know that I have been a horrible human being for leaving my story unupdated for a year and then some, and I'm really sorry for that. You know that moment when life looks you in the eye, and tells you it will all be alright, and then you believe it and turn around a walk away? And then life proceeds to shoot you in the legs, stab you in the back and turn you into a thanksgiving turkey? Or is that only me? I have weird dreams. Sorry. Tangents suck. Anywho, I'm back, and I'm going to try to keep to a legitimate updating policy, but life might come back again you know? But screw it, I'm not going on hiatus again for that long. I'm also going to be updating my stories in series, so each season will bring a new story being my attention. I'm starting with this one in the spring, my XCOM over the summer, the Left 4 Dead one over the fall, and then the winter will be Naruto. Or I will just update each story at random intervals. Probably the last one. Because screw organization. Being organized is for the birds. Anyway, I'm BACK BABY!**

**I also still don't own the Last of Us. Sucks, don't it?**

Chapter 19: Ironic Bravado

Three Years Ago

Connor looked outside the Humvee window. It was just dreary. The scenery didn't change. Abandoned building, abandoned building, burned out building, car accident, abandoned building. There were the occasional changes that made it a little bit less bland, like a building that was the target of an artillery shell, or where someone thought that taking a shortcut through a building would be a good idea. Connor felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned and saw his partner, John.

"How are you holding up?" Connor looked at him, and then sighed. He returned to looking out the window, watching the never ending scenery. But John tapped him again.

"I know you're hurting man, but I need you to okay. What the hell was your plan last night?" The previous night, John had found Connor looking out of a window on the eighth floor of the barracks. He and Elizabeth had often gone up there. It was their getaway spot. It was farther in the back, and because the eighth floor was storage, people rarely came to that spot. They would sit and talk for hours on end. Connor had loved her so much, and yesterday, John had found Connor looking for something, because there was no other reason that he was leaning so far out of the window. He could have almost fallen out. The radio squawked once, and he grabbed it.

"Stop the convoy!" The Humvee slowed and Connor watched troops get out of the truck ahead of him. He grabbed his shotgun, and opened his door. John got out as well, while Samson stayed in the driver's seat. Connor saw a man ahead, with his arm covering his stomach, and blood dripping from the wound. He aimed his shotgun at the windows above while Sgt. Carter slowly approached the wounded man.

"Hold it right there!" But the man kept coming.

"Please. Help me."

"Stay there!"

"Please. I don't want to die!"

"I will shoot! Stop right now!"

"Please!" The man lunged forward and Sgt. Carter shot him in the chest. His body crumpled and when he fell, his arm rolled away. Connor saw the chunks of meat fall out of his hoodie pocket, and the knife dropped from the dead man's other hand. Suddenly, there was gunfire, and Sgt. Carter was killed as a bullet passed directly through the visor of his gas mask.

"It's a trap!" Soldiers were being shot and killed, and Connor pulled John back into their Humvee.

"Samson! Drive out of here!" Samson put the Humvee into reverse, and started to drive away, when a bus came and slammed into the vehicle. It flipped over and slid until coming to a stop against the guardrail of a bridge. Connor took a few seconds to get used to his surroundings, and heard the bus engine roar as it backed up. He saw the bus start to drive forward and realized that the driver meant to knock the upside down Humvee into the river below. He reached for his sidearm, and aimed as carefully as he could. He took three shots, and they hit the driver. But the bus kept coming, and it slammed into the Humvee before driving off the bridge. Connor felt the Humvee sliding, and he clawed his way to the window. It was shattered, but there were shards still sticking up, but Connor didn't care for it. He crawled out and looked around. John had been thrown from the Humvee, but Samson was still stuck inside. He was getting out of the car, when Connor felt the bridge rumble and the Humvee went over the edge of the bridge. He heard Samson banging on the window and screaming all the way down. John pulled Connor up and they ran. They saw their squad being surrounded and gunned down, and there was a damn thing either one could do about it. Connor picked up a shotgun from the ground, and John somehow had his assault rifle out. They ran into a building, and kept running. Connor was so busy making sure no one was following him that he didn't notice the Clicker nest he had run into. They were aggressive and trying to find the sources of the gunfire, and Connor ran into one and knocked it over. It started clawing at him, and John shot it. The others began running for them, and the pair ran back the way they came from. Connor stopped to shot one, and felt the floor give way. He landed on his back, wet and in pain, but alive. He heard gunfire, and John screaming for him. None of the others had followed him downstairs, but he was on the lookout. He felt in the water for the shotgun, and after retrieving it and checking to make sure it still worked, he started looking around for a way out. It must have taken him hours, but it was worth being slow and quiet than running around making a lot of noise. Connor found himself coming out of the building in the dead of night. There was no one around, save for a few bodies, some belonging to his squad and some to the hunters. They were all striped clean of anything useful, and the Humvee with the 50 cal was gone. _Damn scavengers._ Connor walked slowly through the battlefield, making sure that there wasn't anything worth taking. He found some loose bullets and began collecting them when he heard something moving. He ducked behind some debris, and looked around. He saw a soldier behind some rubble, aiming his rifle down the road. Connor quietly walked forward, and realized the soldier must not be facing him.

"Buddy, what's going on?" Connor must have whispered too low because the soldier didn't turn to face him. But Connor recognized the red hair.

"John!" John didn't turn. Connor got closer, and reached out to touch him.

"John." His hand made contact with John's shoulder, and the marine turned around. Connor saw the blood dripping from it's mouth that had stained the combat uniform, and the horrific bite mark on the creature's neck that must have killed it really fast. The newly turned infected screeched and tackled Connor. It tried to bite him, but Connor was able to resist. He wasn't able to push his best friend off however. The Runner was snapping its jaws, trying to kill the marine. Connor tried to push the monster off, but to no avail. And he saw the hilt of a handgun on his best friend's belt. He grabbed it and aimed.

"I'm sorry buddy." Three shots rang out as Connor pulled the trigger, each one tearing a hole through the vest and through the Runner on top of him. The body slumped down and fell onto Connor. He heard screeches echoing and grabbed the rifle off of the ground. Connor flipped the safety off as the first of the infected rounded the corner. He aimed, and fired. The bullet ripped through its head, and lifted the body into the air. Connor kept shooting, and when he ran out of ammunition, he dropped the rifle and pulled out the pistol. His aim remained true and the infected bodies kept piling up. And when the pistol clicked empty, Connor pulled out the combat knife. He didn't know what he was doing, only that he was alive, and they were dead and dying. _And damn it, that's how it's going to stay! I'm not dying here!_ He kept stabbing and swiping and punching. His body was in automatic, and it was as if Connor was watching a video of his life. He didn't know how long he was fighting, but it was a long time. And just when it seemed like it would go on forever, Connor sank to his knees and stabbed an infected in the head. And he looked around and saw that he was the last one standing. At least figuratively. Covered it blood and gore, Connor saw that he was surrounded in the bodies of the infected. He had a hard time standing up, because of the mound of bodies at his feet. He searched through the gore to find the rifle and pistol, and after stowing them, he began walking across the bridge, back the way the convoy came from. _Ironically, into the sunrise._

**How did you like it? Please review and let me know if you liked that I came back, or if I should have stayed hidden under a rock or a tree or my bed or wherever the hell I've been hiding for the past year or so. Thank you and take care everybody!**

**Shadow of a Doubt**


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